What’s Meat Free Monday repertoire without a Meat Free Burger? Not complete right? Meat Free Burger is almost a must have recipe when talking about meat free dishes, well I guess because Burger is one of our beloved meat dish that we tend miss and crave for when we try to eat healthier option meals. So I guess its about time I share my own take of Meat Free Burger, this is my take on a Black Bean Quinoa Burger, let’s go thorough what you need to make this.

Let’s talk about the Ingredients:

• Black Beans – the main replacement for meat. The beans will be bake for 15 minutes to let it dry so that it holds its shape better and doesn’t get to mushy
• Cooked Quinoa – adds nice texture and also serves as binder
  Panko Bread Crumbs – additional texture, it also serves as a binder while keeping the burger soft
• Egg – another binder, we need a lot of binder for this because beans is not as compact as meat
• Onion – adds flavor
• Bell peppers – adds nice texture and color to the burger
• Spices & Seasoning: Cumin, Paprika, – vegetarian burger needs to be seasoned well, so we are adding much flavoring as we can.

Why do we need to dry out the beans?

The baking process aims to dry out the Beans to avoid a mushy burger. I’ve tried using the beans as is and mushing it and this one where I bake it. Honestly, both process works but the beans that had been used as is will have a mushy texture, if that’s what you prefer than you can skip baking the process, but, if you want to try a different approach, try baking the beans first before using it. Once the beans has been baked, the beans will open up and slightly burst, it will look dry and that’s fine.

Why do we need a lot of binding ingredient?

Because the beans had been dried out, we need to use more binding ingredients than normal black bean burger. In this recipe, I used cooked Quinoa, Panko bread crumbs and egg. Normally, most recipe only uses egg when using the beans as is which makes it sticky. I used Panko bread crumbs which is my preferred bread crumbs, it has a lighter texture so the burger will not become too dense and compact.

Can I use different spices?

Absolutely, sometimes when I make this I added different spices like chopped Cilantro, Oregano, Cajun spice or whatever spice I have. You can also add different vegetables, like corn, Jalapeno will be nice too. As long as you have the base mixture then you can modify it however you want to. Be creative, after all it’s your Burger to enjoy.

Can I grill this burger?

Yes. The burger patty holds its shape pretty well, it’s stable and can withstand grilling. I strongly suggest though that you chill the dough at least 30 minutes to make shaping easy and to make it more stable for both stove top or grilling.

Can I freeze this?

Yes, I’ve done It several times. The longest I’ve kept this in the freezer about 1 month, but it could last 2-3 months. To freeze, arrange the patty in parchment paper lined tray. Put in the freezer until hard. Remove from the freezer and transfer in a ziplock bag with parchment paper in between patty. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients:

For the Black Beans

• 1 can Black Beans – do not rinse
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin 

For the Seasoning Blend

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Chopped White or Yellow Onion (If you prefer a stroger taste, use a mix of red and white onion)
  
• 1/3 cup assorted bell peppers –  diced/chopped  (Red, Yellow, Green, Orange)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa 
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs  

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
2. Cook the Quinoa: Cook the Quinoa as per package instructions.
3. Bake the Beans: Sprinkle salt and pepper to the beans then bake for 15 minutes. The beans will burst and open, this is expected. Remove from the pan and divide into 2 portions. Mashed half of the beans using a fork and leave the other half as is whole.
4. Cook the Spices and Vegetables: In a heated pan, cook the spices and vegetables. Add oil, onion, bell peppers, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Add cooked Quinoa and cook for another minute,
5. Beans + Spices and Vegetables: Manually Mix Beans and cooked spices, vegetable.  and Qiunoa. Taste and adjust seasoning before adding the egg. Once the taste is ok with you, add beaten egg and bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.
6. Chill: Chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes (can also be left overnight).
7. Divide and Shape: Divide the mixture into 4 portions. Shape into a ball then use you palm to flatten it to a disk of size 3.5-inch (doesn’t have to be exact).
8. Cook Spray or wipe the pan with oil. Do not pour oil into the pan to avoid the burger being soggy. Cook each side for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned and stable.
9. Serve: Arrange in burger buns with vegetables and desired topping.

Makes 4

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

The Nutrition Information was calculated only for the patty (bread and toppings not included)

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