I love a good veggie burger, but my restaurant veggie burger experiences have almost always let me down. The alternative is the store-bought and frozen variety, and again I’ve yet to get super excited about these options. So I put one together that is hearty, delicious, a little spicy, and extremely healthy! (Check out the nutrition info below!) My kids just love these black bean burgers; serve with sweet potato fries and a green salad on the side for a quick, easy, and nutritious family meal!
1 TBL flaxseed meal
1/4 cup water
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1/2 onion, cut into small wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 TBL chili powder
1 TBL cumin
1 TBL Thai chili sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
Combine flaxseed meal and water in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl, mash black beans with a masher or large fork until thick and pasty.
Combine green pepper, onion, and garlic in food processor and blend until chopped well.
Add chopped vegetables, spices, flaxseed mixture, and bread crumbs to mashed black beans and mix well to combine. Depending on the type of bread crumbs used, you may have to add more. You want your burgers to hold together on the grill, but you don’t want them too dry!
Form into 5 patties and grill 7-8 minutes per side.
- Tip: After forming your patties, refrigerate for an hour or two so they’re nice and cold going on the grill. They’ll hold together better!
Nutrition
Servings: 5 burgers
Per serving: 380 calories (27 from fat), 3g total fat, 0.6g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 179mg sodium, 68.5g total carbohydrate (15.8g dietary fiber, 3.8g sugar), 22.1g protein, 17% vitamin A, 33% vitamin C, 16% calcium, 35% Iron
- Good points: Low in saturated fat and sodium, no cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and thiamin
