Southwest Black Bean Burgers with Guacamole Cream

I dearly love bean burgers nearly as much, if not more, than I love regular old beef burgers. Especially when the beans in question are black ones. With a ton of natural flavor and earthy heartiness, they hold their own in the world of burgers.

These are packed full of zesty Southwestern flavors with Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles, chopped onion, chile powder and oregano. The burgers are topped with a tangy quacamole cream made with avocado, sour cream, lime juice and cilantro. The flavors come together in perfect harmony. They turn out a little crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, mildly spicy and incredibly delicious.

The patties are quick and easy to make, cheap and nutritious. The leftovers are just as good and can easily be frozen. Between my burger-loving Dad and I we ate six of them in a few days. Only two of them made it to the freezer. They are completely addicting!

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Southwest Black Bean Burgers

(by Reeni)(makes 8 burgers)

2 – 15 ounce cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained or 3 + 1/2 cups dried, cooked

1- 10 ounce can Ro-tel Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained

1 egg, beaten

2/3 – 3/4 cup Bread Crumbs

1/3 cup Onion, minced

1 heaping teaspoon Chile Powder

1 heaping teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon Sea or Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1. Mash the beans using a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. Alternately you can use a food processor to ‘rough’ chop them.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be wet. Add additional bread crumbs if desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Heat a large skillet* over medium-low heat and generously grease the bottom. Drop ice cream scoops full or heaping 1/3 cups full of the burger mixture into skillet. Use a spatula/spoon to form into patty shapes. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side, carefully flipping, the burgers are fragile. Cook in batches. Freeze leftover, cooked burgers separately wrapped if desired. Serve on whole wheat buns with guacamole cream.

*I’ve had good results cooking these on a George grill but not on an outdoor grill.

Guacamole Cream

1 Avocado, mashed

2 tablespoons Sour Cream

1/4 cup Onion, minced

2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro or Parsly, chopped

Lime juice, a big squeeze or two, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper or hot sauce, if desired, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

Print Recipe

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The winner of the cookbook giveaway chosen by the random integer is Chaya of My Sweet and Savory! Congratulations Chaya! And what a coincidence as I’m linking this post to her site for Meatless Mondays. It must be fate.

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Comments

Jenn Buckhahn says:

01/10/2012 at

First off, these burgers were great! I’m so glad I found this recipe. Secondly, anybody have any suggestions for a good way to keep the guac dip/cream? I looooooove to put it on my salads (I don’t like typical dressing) but I always seem to make too much to use at one time, and it never seems to keep longer than a day. Any ideas????

- Reeni says:
  
  01/10/2012 at
  
  Thanks Jenn! Being exposed to air is what makes the avocado turn brown. Store in a tightly covered container – lay a piece of saran wrap right over top pressing it lightly into the top of the guacamole before closing.
  
cnray says:

01/06/2011 at

I didn't have any black beans or tomatoes in the house so I modified the recipe a bit and used a can of kidney beans, spicy red pepper tomato sauce, and added rice to account for the extra moisture the spaghetti sauce gave.WOW. Thanks for the starting point!

Danielle says:

08/04/2010 at

I was just looking through my pantry last night and noticed how many cans of black beans I have!! I can't wait to give this a try. since I forgot to defrost something for tonights dinner…this just might be the answer. wooo hoo!!

Mimi says:

07/30/2010 at

Sort of like a southwest falafel.Mimi