Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

This vegetarian alternative to a hamburger has been a long time favorite of mine. Black beans make an excellent substitute for beef, they hold together well and have a great texture.

This specific burger is compiled of a black bean burger with green chilis, melted pepper jack cheese, grilled red onion, cilantro, avocado, and a homemade roasted red pepper aioli sauce. I don’t normally go for southwestern flavors but this combo is killer.

I made hamburger buns(using THIS recipe, and they were fantastic!), but you could just use store-bought if you are short on time. Homemade buns really take these to the next level though, I’m just saying.

The black bean burgers freeze well, and are easy to pull out and thaw for another meal. They cook quickly and are so tasty!

HOW TO: Roast a Pepper

I highly recommend  roasting your own peppers for the aioli. Bottled peppers are great in a pinch, but you just don’t get the same flavor and texture. They tend to be a bit mushy and vinegary. Roasting your own is easy, as long you have a gas range. Simply turn one burner on to medium(or medium high, so that the flames are not reaching above the burner) and place a washed red pepper on the burner. Let the skin blister and blacken. Turn the pepper to another side and blacken. Keep turning until the entire pepper is blistered and blackened. The more charred your pepper is, the easier it will be to peel.

Place the pepper in a brown paper bag and seal it shut. Let the pepper steam inside the bag for about 20 minutes. Remove the pepper and remove the black skin from it. It should easily slip right off. Remove the stem and the seeds inside the pepper and you are ready to go.

Black Bean Burgers

 

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Serves: Serves 12

Ingredients

• 6 C. Black Beans(canned or cooked from a dry state)
• 8 oz. Roasted Green Chilies, diced
• 2 C. Plain Bread Crumbs
• 1 T. Chili Powder
• 1 t. Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1 C. Cornmeal(if using canned beans. See notes)
• 12 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
• 12 Hamburger buns
• 1 Red Onion, sliced and grilled or sauteed
• ½ C. Cilantro, very roughly chopped
• 2 Avocados, sliced
• 1 recipe Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Instructions

1. Add the black beans to a food processor, making sure they are drained if using canned. Process slightly.
2. Add the green chilies, bread crumbs, chili powder, salt, and eggs to the beans. Process until the mixture is well combined.
3. Using a ½ C. Scoop or measuring cup, measure out the mixture into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a ball and flatten into a patty, coating with cornstarch on both sides if the mixture is too sticky.
4. Heat a skillet drizzled with oil to medium high.
5. Cook the patties on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through.
6. Top the patties each with a slice of cheese and allow to melt.
7. Serve inside of hamburger buns and top with grilled onion, cilantro, avocado, and the roasted red pepper aioli.

Notes

The cornmeal called for is really only necessary if you are using canned beans. Canned beans tend to be a bit water logged and will make a stickier hamburger patty because of the excess liquid they hold. If you are using cooked black beans from dry beans, you shouldn't need to use it because they are not as wet as the canned variety and make an easy to work with paste.

* To cook black beans from dried bean, rinse 3 cups of dry black beans in a sieve under cold water. Place beans in a stock pot and cover with three times as much water as there are beans. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and cover with a lid. Let the pot of beans soak for 2 hours. Drain the water and add fresh water back in(about twice as much as there are beans). Bring to a simmer and cover, cooking on medium heat, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Do not add salt, this could cause the beans to toughen. Drain the beans and use according to the recipe. This will make a little over 6 cups of cooked beans.

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Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

 

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Ingredients

• 1 Roasted Red Pepper
• ⅓ C. Mayo
• ½ t. Salt
• ¼ t. Garlic, minced
• 1 T. Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Chop the roasted red pepper into small pieces and place in a small bowl.
2. Add the mayo, salt, garlic, and olive oil to the bowl.
3. Whisk together until the oil is fully incorporated.
4. Keep refrigerated.

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