Black Bean Pizza Burgers

I love foodgawker.com.  I head over there almost daily and check out the lastest thing in food blogging.  Sometimes I go for the humor of the situation, "The BEST Tofu Cookies EVER!"  (OK--I just made that up.  But if you're a Gawker, then you know it could be true.)  And you can always see what's going around--like Macarons.  (Must have perfect feet.  Thanks to foodgawker, I know what that means.  And maybe someday I'll give them a try.)  Usually I see the site as a thrift store of recipes.  There are a lot of treasures in there.  You just have to sift through them and pick out the gems.  This recipe was one of those gems!

My husband is TRULY a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  So, when I introduced the idea of black bean burgers (a LONG time ago), he balked at the idea.  But lately, health and physique have come more into play and Ryan has grown a little more adventurous.  Thus, black bean burgers made it onto our weekly menu last week.  The general consensus was that they were tasty and definitely a meal we would eat again! 

Black Bean Pizza Burgers
(Original recipe at feaston.wordpress.com)
4 burgers

1 can of black beans (16 oz., rinsed and drained)

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Oil for cooking (Very small amount)
Burger buns
Provolone cheese
Pasta/pizza sauce
Basil leaves (optional)

Put black beans in large bowl and mash. Pulse green pepper, onion, and garlic in food processor.  Be careful not to overdo it. Add to beans; mix well.

In a small bowl, blend egg and seasonings. Add egg and bread crumbs to bean mixture. Mix until all elements are well incorporated.  Heat a little oil in a large skillet. Shape mixture into 4 patties; cook in oil until outside is crisp and patties are cooked through, (2-3 min. each side).  Place cooked patties on plate lined with paper towels, (This makes them sound greasy.  They're not.)

To assemble: Place patty on toasted bun, top with cheese, tomato slices, and basil leaves.  Enjoy!

NOTES: From the original recipe, it seemed like the bean mixture should be pretty dry by the time you're making it into patties.  I think I over-processed my peppers and onions, so mine was still a bit moist and sticky.  I separated my mixture into four sections and then didn't make them into a patty shape until I placed them in the pan.  I cooked 2 at a time because I didn't have a pan large enough for all 4 at once.  Once they were cooked, the patties held together fairly well, but were still delicate enough that I had to handle them with care.  Make sure to use a spatula large enough to hold the entire patty. 

This recipe make 4 "fits-on-a-large-potato-bun" sized patties.  You could easily get 6 smaller "fits-on-your-run-of-the-mill-burger-bun" sized patties from it.

As for the buns, we used those sandwich-thins style buns and I toasted them using my garlic olive oil.  (I told you, I can't get enough of that stuff!)  And, since I LOVE basil, I added a lot of leaves to my burger.  I won't do that again!  I tasted more basil than anything else--and while it's a great herb, it's not good enough that I recommend making an entire meal out of it.

I've already decided that next time I make them, I'm going to omit the Italian seasoning and Worchestershire sauce and leave off the basil and cheese.  Instead, I'm going to add chili powder and top with tomato, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.  Oooh...my mouth is watering just thinking about that.