Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

Hello Thrifty Foodies! I’m a long time reader and happy to be making my first contribution to the blog.

As we get closer to summer, everyone is bringing out the grill for hotdogs and burgers. As a vegetarian, it isn’t always easy to find a delicious veggie burger that isn’t processed or expensive. I found this recipe on a bag of quinoa I bought and couldn’t wait to try these delicious burgers. I’m new to cooking and usually intimidated by recipes with more than 5 ingredients. But these patties were easy to make and yummy. Plus, even my meat-eating friends enjoyed the final product!

Ingredients (Makes 6-9 patties)

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, diced small
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 3 cups quinoa, cooked in chicken broth (or water or veggie broth!)
• 1 egg (optional, helps keep the burger together)
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings to taste

Step 1: Cook Quinoa

The first step is to make the quinoa using some sort of broth or just water. You need about 3 cups of cooked quinoa when you’re done. About 1/4 cup of dry quinoa makes 1 cup of cooked quinoa. I just made 1 cup of dry quinoa and once it was cooked measured out 3 cups. (Any extra can be used for a bonus meal later!)

Place 1 cup dry quinoa and 2 cups of water (or broth) in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes or until all of the water is gone.

Step 2: Sauté Veggies

While the quinoa is cooking, put olive oil in a pan and sauté the peppers for about 3 minutes. Then add in the garlic and shallot while continuing to sauté until they’re all soft. Then remove from heat and sit off to the side to let cool.

Step 3: Black Bean Mix

Place the drained can (15oz) of black beans into a pot with the cilantro. Add in the sautéed veggies stirring them all together. Using a food processor (or a Magic Bullet!) pulse together until chunky. It will look kind of like a paste.

Step 4: Patty time!

Combine the Black Bean Mix with the 3 cups of cooked quinoa into a pot, mixing everything together. (At this point, you could add an egg to keep it together a little better, but not necessary!) Using your hands, make patties with the mix.Using wax paper to separate them, place them on a plate in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes. Put breadcrumbs and any seasonings you want to use into a bowl wide enough to fit a patty.After the patties have cooled, coat them with the crumbs and fry them in the pan of oil. Each side will take about 3 minutes.

Step 5: Enjoy 🙂

Dress your burger up with whatever you’d put on a meat burger. It’s yummy, healthy AND thrifty!

**Recipe is vegetarian (using veggie broth or water), vegan (without the egg) and gluten free (without breadcrumbs).**

Happy Summer!