And my love ( or what you would call obsession) with black beans continues today with these black bean mushroom burgers. Meaty portobello mushrooms that add so much body and texture along with hearty black beans, and mighty spinach. These burgers totally give those Morning Star Farms or Boca Burgers a run for their money! No hockey puck-like veggie burgers here. No siree! Just tender and succulent burgers that are seasoned with cumin and chipotle chili powder to give it a nice little Tex-mex kick in the rear. That’s how we do veggie burgers in Texas.
These black bean mushroom burger patties are crispy around the edges, savory, and (excuse me for this) moist in the center. These patties are probably one of the best things I’ve ever served on a burger. Even my meat and potatoes obsessed husband agrees. Though before we had dinner, he was a little worried about how full he’d be on a veggie burger. Well one burger in the man was totally stuffed! 😉 I made our patties a little larger to help keep the hubs fuller, longer. The recipe can serve up to 8 normal sized burger patties. Let me tell you a few things about these black bean mushroom burgers:
Make ahead – these burger patties are perfect to make a couple of days ahead of time. You can pan fry them and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days days. You can also leave the burger patties uncooked for up to 2 days and make them fresh as needed. Did you know you can freeze them too? Yup. Just place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, place in the freezer for several hours and when they’re frozen, just store them in a freezer safe zip-top bag. They are super versatile – serve them up as burgers with chipotle sauce like I did, in pita bread with hummus, over a salad, or as a sandwich with creamy mashed avocados and micro greens. Mhm. I love all the many possibilities. Change it up – Play with the seasonings or the ingredients. Use shredded zucchini instead of spinach. Swap the cumin with lemon pepper seasoning, or use button mushrooms to make the recipe a little more economical. You can’t go wrong!
My black bean mushroom burgers are packed with fresh garlic, chopped baby spinach, black beans (of course), red onions, panko bread crumbs, cumin, chipotle powder, and egg whites. Keep in mind that just like regular burgers, this veggie burger patty requires you to be gentle with the ingredients! Over mixing, can cause these mushroom patties to fall apart quickly. Combine until just mixed for best results, always. Here are a few helpful tips to make your black bean and mushroom burgers come out perfect every time:
The recipe calls for 2 cans of black beans. One will be smashed to help bind everything together. The other one is kept whole for added texture. The mushrooms need to be chopped into small bite sized pieces. This helps hold the patties together better as well. Large chunks usually tend to fall off during the cooking process. Don’t skimp on the panko breadcrumbs! You can use gluten-free panko but make sure to use them as they really help bring everything together along with the egg whites. I haven’t had any luck making these without the panko. If the mixture is too wet when you’re done mixing, add in a little more of the panko, if the mixture it too dry, add in a little more of the egg white. You must cook these black bean patties with oil. You can use nonstick spray instead of a teaspoon of two of oil, but the spray won’t give these patties that slightly crispy texture on the outside.
These meatless black bean mushroom burgers are the perfect meal to serve on Meatless Monday. But guess what? They’re perfect for lunches all week long too. We enjoyed these burgers two days in a row because we couldn’t get enough (yes, even the hubby was down for a second round). I topped by burger with just a bit of onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. And that chipotle mayo. Just 3 simple ingredients in that chipotle mayo but it’s so so good. You can use it as a dip or a dressing if you plan on serving these meatless black bean burgers over a salad. No matter how you decide to serve these mushroom burgers, they’re a keeper. These burgers are perfect to serve when you’re hosting a BBQ party and like a good host you want to have something for the vegetarians attending. Well you can make these black bean burgers up a day in advance and just heat them in the microwave and serve them fresh. Oh and did you know, they’re the perfect way to use up leftover mushrooms, baby spinach, and onions? Yeah, how about that? #meatlessmondays rock!
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To make these burgers more economical, you can use button or crimini mushrooms in a small dice. You’ll need about 6-8 of them.I do not recommend using regular spinach for this recipe as I find that regular spinach has a higher water content and tends to make these burgers soggy. Fresh baby spinach will work best for this recipe.
