Truth be told, I do love a good veggie burger. Sautéed peppers, onions and garlic are mixed with spices, smashed black beans and cooked brown rice. This southwest black bean and rice veggie burger is absolutely delicious and satisfying!
Truth be told, I do love a good veggie burger.
In fact, I sometimes keep those Morning Star veggie burgers in my freezer and quite often make one into a quesadilla for breakfast in the morning. With that being said, I wanted to save me a little dough, make my own and uh-duh, share them with you!
But don’t think for a second you need to eat these with the buns. I actually prefer these burgers open-faced or even without the bun… it sort of complicates things. I really could happily eat this burger bun-less, piled high with all the fixings and never miss the bun, like at all. But my family likes their burger patties in between buns. So I obliged.
To Make These Southwest Black Bean and Rice Veggie Burgers You Will Need:
- yellow onion
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- cooked black beans
- cooked brown rice
- olive oil
- olive oil spray
- sweet corn
- kosher salt
- cumin
- chili powder
- cayenne pepper
- breadcrumbs
- egg – lightly beaten
Start by dicing up 1 small to medium onion, keeping it on the small side, so you have about 3/4 cup.
Then dice up a 1/4 cup of both green and red pepper.
And mince up 2 cloves of fresh garlic.
Throw the onion and peppers into a 10-inch skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil.
Sautee the veggies until soft and the onions are translucent.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse 1 (15 ounce can) black beans and add them to a large bowl.
If you want the burgers flecked with black beans then just reserve about a quarter cup.
Then mash those up.
Until they’re as smooth as they’re going to get.
Earlier in the day I cooked up some brown rice in my rice cooker. A rice cooker is a total life saver. Especially for those that are like me and cannot make rice to save my life. And if you have some leftover brown rice, that works wonderfully too!
You’ll need 1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice. I gently press the rice into the measuring cup so those are semi-packed measures.
Once the veggies are soft and the onions are translucent, I added in the minced fresh garlic. Cook for a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Add in the 3/4 cup of thawed sweet corn and the 1/4 cup of the reserved black beans.
Season with a 1-1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Or you can use 2 teaspoons of my homemade southwest seasoning.
Stir that all together and scoot the pan off of the burner to cool for a few minutes.
Once the pepper and onion mixture has cooled a bit, add it into the bowl with the beans and brown rice.
Add in the 1/3 cup of bread crumbs.
Then just give it a quick stir to combine, break up any clumps of beans as you go.
Beat one egg and add that into the mixture.
Stir to incorporate the egg.
Form the mixture into 8 equal sized burger patties. I won’t lie, it’s messy. Try to form them into tight patties the best you can so they will stay formed when you flip them.
I like to use a griddle or a skillet, I’m not quite sure how these would hold up on an actual grill or grill pan. So I play it safe and use my trusty old griddle. Spray with olive oil spray or add a teaspoon or so and use a spatula to spread the oil around so it’s lightly coated.
Add the patties and cook for 6-8 minutes a side.
I use my spatula and gently press the patties.
Flip ever-so-carefully once a nice, golden crust forms on the bottom. Continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes.
Then just prep the toppings you want for your burgers.
All that’s left to do is top them with more veggies and devour!
These healthy veggie burgers are where it’s at. I love the spices and the bites of sweet corn and black beans. So SO good! My picky husband even gave me a thumbs up. Which says A LOT!
As you can see I like mine with red onion, slice fresh tomato, avocado and a few fresh cilantro leaves.
However these would be excellent with pretty much any combo you want or none at all. They are definitely good in between two toasty tortillas and lots of gooey cheese. But hey, that’s just me. Don’t be like me. Be healthier than me.
I packed the rest away in the freezer and plan on having those breakfast quesadillas over the next few weeks… if I can hide them from the rest of my family (wish me luck).
Enjoy! And if you give this Southwest Black Bean Veggie Burger recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Southwest Black Bean + Rice Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced small (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups lightly packed cooked brown rice
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen, thawed if frozen sweet corn
- 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- olive oil spray, for griddle
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns
OPTIONAL BURGER TOPPINGS:
- tomato slices
- avocado slices
- red onion slices
- torn lettuce
- cilantro
- salsa
Instructions
- In a 10-inch skillet add in the tablespoon of olive oil.
- Sauté the onions and peppers over medium low heat until they are soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the minced fresh garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add in the 3/4 cup of thawed (or fresh) sweet corn kernels and the 1/4 cup of reserved black beans. Season with salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir and remove off of the heat to cool slightly.
- Into a large bowl add the remaining black beans. Smash the black beans until mostly smooth and add in the cup and a half of cooked brown rice.
- Add in the cooled peppers and onion mixture, the third cup of bread crumbs and stir to combine. Add in the beaten egg and stir once more to combine.
- Form into 8 patties, forming them well so they hold together when cooking.
- Heat a griddle to 375° or a skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with more olive oil. Once hot, place the veggie patties (I worked in batches of four} and cook for 6-8 minutes a side. Flip {ever-so-carefully so you don't break the burgers) once a golden crust forms on the bottom and repeat for 6-8 more minutes.
- Serve on or off a bun with as many toppings as you desire.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
These veggie burgers look awesome! I love the rice in there.
Thanks Katrina! It gives these burgers a little more texture {as if they need it} 😉
i love a good veggie burger and these look like they’re jam packed full of deliciousness!
My jar is on the floor!!
Aren’t toppings the most important part of burgers? These look so fresh and delish!
They sure are! The more the better 🙂
Beautiful veggie burgers!!
Thank you Liz!
You know I love a good black bean burger. I’m all over this!
You do not have to convince me. Black bean burgers rule!
That looks amazing! I’m going to give this a try soon!
I made these two weeks ago after craving a certain black bean burger I had in Asheville while on vacation. They are EXCELLENT!! I can also say that they freeze very well. I am usually just feeding my fiancee & myself, so I made the entire recipe & froze the rest. We had them again this past Thursday night. I am pretty sure I will never buy veggie patties again, these are THAT delicious!!
I topped ours with lettuce, avocado & a mixture of creme fraiche & srirachi sauce. Delish!
Do you freeze the patties raw or after being cooked.
Hi Pat! I’d cook them first, then allow the burgers to cool all the way before freezing. 🙂
SO good! It was a hit with my guests. I added some chickpeas that I had left over, and it was delicious!
I love this combination of ingredients, and I would like to try this recipe. I love Dr. Praeger’s Perfect Fiesta Burgers, and these look like they might be similar, but not as spendy! I do have a question, though: I tend to bake my veggie burgers instead of fry them. Have you tried baking these? And, if so, what temp would you suggest, and for what duration?
Gratefully, Ned Andrew