• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
That Recipe
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Members
    • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Meat Substitutes

    That Recipe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program. This site contains affiliate links to various websites, including Amazon.com. Purchases through these links help support this blog at no additional cost to you. read more

    Flavorful Vegetarian Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

    June 30, 2014 Filed Under: Meat Substitutes

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Southwestern Black Bean Burgers combine a flavorful black bean and mushroom burger with herbs and spices served with grilled onions and peppers and optional cheese for a delicious vegetarian burger.

    Loaded with spices and mushrooms for texture, could someone really think these Southwestern Black Bean Burgers are made with ground meat?

    Meatless New Mexican Chile Burger on a plate

    Not for a minute. But they are absolutely delicious in their own right.

    I saw the recipe in a past issue of Cooking Light and immediately knew I had to make them. I learned awhile ago that black beans are amazingly versatile. They can substitute for flour in the Black Bean Coconut Brownies or for ground beef in these burgers. And I love the extra boost of fiber they add to a recipe.

    The original recipe called for an 11 ingredient tomatillo/chile pepper relish that I had no interest in going to the effort of making.

    A simple half of a canned chile that I blotted dry and charred a little with the onion was perfect for me. And I went with a little heartier four patties instead of the six they made. More calories than their version, but more filling too.

    I encourage you to give them a try next time you want a meatless meal or are looking for something a little different.

    Tips for Black Bean Burgers

    These mix up almost as fast as traditional beef burgers.

    Just toss the ingredients into the food processor and pulse together. Note that I did not say grind into a paste.

    You want to be light on the trigger here and only lightly pulse. You want bits of the beans and mushrooms to give these burgers a little texture. Otherwise it will be like you are eating bean dip. Delicious bean dip, but not exactly what we are going for here.

    The entire recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, so as an added bonus, it is weeknight fast. Gotta love that.

    Variations for Southwestern Burgers to suit different diets

    You can easily convert these to:

    • gluten free - use gluten free bread crumbs and buns
    • dairy free - omit the cheese or use a dairy free one.
    • vegan - omit the cheese (or use a Vegan cheese) and an egg substitute such as arrowroot powder or potato starch to bind the ingredients together.
    • unapologetic carnivore - use a pound of ground beef instead of the beans and mushrooms.

    Southwestern Black Bean Burger

    Meatless New Mexican Chile Burger on a plate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 4 Slices red onion (approximately ½ inch thick)
    • 4 ounce cremini mushrooms (washed)
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 15 ounce can of unsalted black beans (drained and rinsed)
    • ½ cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
    • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (chopped)
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon chipotle or ancho chile powder
    • 1 large egg
    • 2 ounse monterey jack cheese (cut in to 4 slices)
    • 1 jar whole chiles (drained and sliced in half if desired)
    • 4 hamburger buns

    Instructions
     

    • Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brush onion slices with a bit of olive oil and cook in skillet until slightly charred on both sides, about 3-4 minutes a side. Lightly toast buns in skillet or in toaster oven.
    • While onions are cooking, combine mushrooms, garlic and black beans in the food processor and pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped. Do not pulverize! You want a little texture, not a paste.
    • Add Panko, oregano, cumin, salt, chile powder and egg and pulse just until combined. Repeat: Do not pulverize! You want a little texture, not a paste. Shape into four ½ inch thick patties.
    • Lightly oil the skillet and cook the patties approximately 12 minutes, turning once. Add cheese to the top of the burgers the last two minutes, cover the pan to assist melting.
    • Place patty on toasted bun, top with onion slice and a half chile slice (or more if desired).

    Notes

    To make them gluten free - use gluten free bread crumbs.
    For Vegan/Vegetarian use your favorite egg substitute such as 2-3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder or potato starch and vegan cheese (or omit).
    For an extra spicy kick, use pepper jack cheese.

    Until next time, happy eating.
    ~Audrey

    More Meat Substitutes

    • zucchini noodles with pasta sauce and parmesan on a plate with text overlay "spicy Arrabbiata Zoodles"
      Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce with Zoodles a Healthy Weeknight Meal
    • sandwich on a plate with text overlay "chard and mushroom toasted cheese sandwich"
      Chard and Mushroom Toasted Cheese Sandwich
    • collage of tahini recipes
      20 Tahini Recipes from Breakfast to Desserts
    • Lentil Mushroom Burgers for a Healthier Cookout

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome

    I'm your hostess, Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home décor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

    Discover more about me →

    Easy Grilling Recipes

    • beef short ribs on the grill
    • grilled beef sausages on a plate with text Romanian Mititei
    • white pizza on a plate with text overlay "grilled chicken white pizza"
    • grilled salmon with text overlay "grilled bourbon glazed salmon"

    See more Easy Grilling Recipes→

    tablet with ebook on display and text overlay "Seasoned with Love: 60 seasoning mix recipes from around the world"

    Member Only Content

    Get access to members only content for FREE!

    collage of recipe guides

    Join today

    * indicates required
    /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

    Intuit Mailchimp

    follow the fun

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy/Disclosures
    • Cookie Notice
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 ThatRecipe

    316 shares
    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}