Sweet Potato Burger & Black Bean Mushroom Burger

These veggie burgers are adaptable, customizable and easy peasy to make. Oh, you only have black beans? That’s fine! Your partner got chickpeas instead of cannelloni beans? No problem! You went overboard on random veggies at the market? Don’t sweat it!

The Recipe Redux challenge this month is Healthy Lunch Ideas. It’s easy to get in a lunch rut, bored and tired of the usual mainstays, with no inspiration, but this recipe will banish the lunch humdrumness for sure!

I’ve made black bean mushroom burgers, sweet potato burgers, eggplant chickpea burgers, and there are just so many more combinations I want to try. Now, I’m not going to promise any combination you come up with is going to be ok. If you decide to combine peanuts and brussels sprouts, I will not be responsible for any belly ache afterwards!

This recipe has 5 main parts, an onion/garlic saute, choice of veggie, choice of beans, choice of nuts and bread crumbs. As long as you keep the measurements the same, you’ll be fine. And even then, if it looks off a bit, not quite the consistency you want, you can always adjust the breadcrumbs.

There it is, lunch for the week all set. And it’s healthy. Oh, and did you notice how inexpensive they are to make? I got all the ingredients for the mushroom burger for about $7.00 which makes them around .87 cents per burger. And depending on the veggie you use, you could probably make them even cheaper.

These burgers can be pan fried or baked, the choice is yours. You can cook them all up for the week and store them in the fridge to take for lunch each day. Or, you can freeze them, wrapped in parchment or wax paper and then in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.

I always have a bunch of these burgers in the freezer for those nights I don’t feel like putting much effort into dinner. They’re great to have on hand for all occasions.

Some Suggestions To Get You Started

Beans: chickpea, cannelloni, butter, kidney, pinto, black, navy, great northern, or lentils

Veggies: mushrooms, peppers, sweet potato, eggplant, butternut squash, carrots, beets, or a combination of any of these.

Nuts: walnuts, cashews, pecans, pine nuts. pistachios

Choose Your Own Adventure Veggie Burgers

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Choose Your Own Adventure Veggie Burgers (makes approximately 8 burgers)

Jenny Dunklee | The Lazy Vegan Baker: Jenny Dunklee

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, peeled & chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 2½ cups veggies **
• 2 15 oz cans beans, drained (3 cups)
• 1 cup nuts
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free or regular)
• salt & pepper to taste
• any spices you want, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over med-low for a minute, then add the onions, garlic and veggies (if you are sauteing them). Cook until onions are translucent and veggies are thoroughly cooked, 6-8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor pulse the beans in individual batches, one kind at a time and then add to a medium mixing bowl. You want them to be small pea size chunks and smaller, put not pureed, so to add texture to the burgers.
3. **You can do all the chopping of the beans, nuts & saute by hand if you don't have a food processor.**
4. Next pulse the nuts 10 seconds, again to small pieces and add them to the bowl.
5. Then pulse the onion saute and add it to the bowl.
6. If you baked or roasted your veggies, either mash them or give them a few pulses in the food processor so they are pea size and broken up a bit.
7. Add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and spices and mix together thoroughly.
8. You should be able to form the mix into cohesive balls. You can add more breadcrumbs if needed.
9. I use a ½ cup measuring cup to measure out the burger mix, then form them into patties.
10. Pan fry: Fry in a couple tablespoons of oil, 8 minutes each side until browned and crispy tops.
11. Bake: Bake at 400F on a lightly oiled sheet pan for 12 minutes, then flip and bake for another 12 minutes. I also like to spray the top of the burgers lightly with cooking spray to get that crispy pan fried like texture.
12. Refrigerate: Can be kept uncooked in the fridge for 4-5 days before cooking.
13. Freeze: Separate patties with parchment paper between each one, then wrap in tinfoil.
14. To bake from frozen: Bake on a lightly oiled sheet pan at 425F, 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes.

Notes

** You can saute your veggies with the onions or you can roast/bake them ahead of time. When I use mushrooms or peppers, I usually saute them. Eggplant and sweet potato, I bake whole ahead of time and scoop out and mash what I need. But they could also be diced and roasted. Or diced and sauteed. It's up to you! Just make sure it's 2½ cups you're using :-).

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What kind of veggie burger are you going to make? Have you made this and have a favorite combination? Share your versions with us in the comments below! I want to hear about your veggie burgers!

To see all the other awesome easy lunch ideas from my fellow Recipe Redux bloggers, click on the blue frog below!