Update: Congratulations to Heather from North Carolina, the winner of this giveaway! Her favorite topping is “avocado and a roasted poblano pepper.”
Well today’s the day. Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals
For those who think a thick juicy beef burger is the one dish you could never give up, try my bean burger. Over the years I’ve made many grain, bean, and veggie burgers that just weren’t worth the effort. Not these. The only simpler vegetarian burgers you’ll find are the ones in the freezer case.
You can make these burgers with any small bean–white, black, pinto, black-eyed peas–but since I leave some of the beans whole to provide texture, larger ones like canellini and chickpeas are a little too big. Today I’m offering the simplest of the bean burgers in the book, but as with their meaty counterparts, the bean burger flavoring options are endless.
Now for the giveaway. Tell me your favorite burger toppings. (Mine are bold cheese and some form of onion, either raw or caramelized.) We look forward to hearing your responses by tomorrow night–Wednesday, October 26th at 9 PM ET. Winner will be announced on Thursday morning.
Let the burger brilliance begin!
- 2 cans (15. 5-ounces each) black, white, or pinto beans or black-eyed peas, drained, liquid reserved, 1 can left whole, 1 can fork-mashed
- 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
- ¼ cup olive or canola oil
- 6 good-quality hamburger buns
- Toppings: green leaf lettuce, lightly salted tomato slices, red onion slices, ketchup
- Mix beans, breadcrumbs, eggs, pepper, garlic in a medium bowl, adding, if necessary, a little bean liquid for mixture to hold together without being wet. Divide into 6 equal portions and flatten into 4-inch patties. Mix mayonnaise and mustard; set side.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over strong medium heat.(Warm buns in a 300-degree oven, about 5 minutes.) Add patties and cook, turning only once, until a crisp brown crust forms on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Top burgers with cheese slices; cover skillet, turn heat to low, and let burgers continue to cook until cheese melts.
- Spread mayonnaise mixture over warm buns and dress burgers with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Serve with ketchup.
Blue Cheese, Avocado, and raw onion!
Pineapple, cheddar and soy sauce!
Tomato, bleu cheese, grilled onions and banana peppers.
Cheese, roasted onion, pepper and grilled mushroom.
Applewood Cheddar, Vine Ripe Tomato Slice and a ring of red onion, and a dab of mustard. Yum!
cheese and mushrooms, sometimes avacado…. but not always.
raw Sweet onion, lots of pickles & mustard.
caramelized onions and applewood cheddar. mmmm…you have me craving a burger now!
caramelized onions, pickles, and ketchup. Now I want a burger. I’ll have to give your bean burger a try! Thanks for the recipe.
Onions, tomatoes and mayonnaise!
avocado and jalapenos are choice, but there’s barely a burger topping I’d turn down.
Doesn’t matter much as long as there’s pickles!
Cheese, tomatoes and pickles…yum!
I love just about any topping, but MOST important — and it really makes a difference, you’ll see — after you spread the mayo on the bun, sprinkle black pepper over all the mayo. Makes every one of the other topping tastes POP!
Congratulations, Pam!!
I’m a fan of hot peppers and avocado on a burger. I love the creamy texture of the avocado and the heat of the pepper.
I like classic toppings: onion, tomato, and lettuce!
How to choose: several favorites
1) grilled onions and mushrooms, sour cream
2) avocado, tomato, pesto mayo, light onion, provolone
3) mustard , relish, generous tomato, light onion
BBQ sauce, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Yum!
Crisp Fakin’ Bacon, tomato & sprouts, with a dollop of mashed avocado mixed with a little Veganaise.
Our favorite topping is sauteed onions (not caramelized) with a sauce made from 4 parts mayonnaise, 1 part ketchup and 1 part dill relish. Nothing else needed expecially if grilled outdoors. We use our gas grill all year–just roll it out of the garage anytime.
Great on turkey burgers too. As a carnivore, don’t know much about veggie burgers but going to try your recipe with either red beans or black beans. Can I use panko bread crumbs as the store-bought kind seem to taste stale?
Hey Ed,
You could use panko, but you might not need to use as much. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
Lettuce and tomato are always winners in my book.
My favorite way to top a burger is with salsa, shredded lettuce and fresh tomato slices!
Avacado…..and bacon. 😉
Onions, bacon, lettuce and cheese. Not very different, but oh so delicous!
I like lettuce, tomatoes, and maybe some sprouts. Can no longer eat cheese, but think goat cheese might be good too.
Just about anything — a strong cheese, ketchup or barbecue sauce, lots of veggies, mayo, mustard, sriracha … and I often add smoked paprika and chipotle powder to the patties to give oven-baked burgers a smoky, barbecued taste.