Elly's Black Bean Burgers

The first time I was introduced to black bean burgers was at boarding school in Michigan. Most of our cafeteria dinners bordered on inedible, save for a few nights within the rotation. The black bean burgers had so much more flavor than the normal cardboard-textured veggie burger patties. And now that I can make my own, I like experimenting with different ways of putting them together. Last time, I made this version from Epicurious but had problems with it staying together and wanted to try some other recipes. I knew Elly had a version on her blog, and I definitely trust her recommendation.

The only change I made was to puree the whole drained can of beans with the egg in the food processor. At first, I thought the patties might be too gloppy, but they cooked up great and stayed together very well. I liked the addition of the jalapeno and the cornbread to accentuate the Southwestern flavor. I served these with some provolone cheese and sliced avocado.

Elly's Black Bean Burgers
source: Elly Says Opa

Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated or finely diced onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste

Place about the can of beans and the egg in a food processor and pulse until combined.

In a bowl, place the remaining beans and mash lightly with a fork. Stir in processed beans, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until just combined.

Form the mixture into 4 patties. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Cook the patties approximately 3 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.