Hearty Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

My Hearty Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers were born on a whim. One night, I was dying to cook something, but I didn’t know what. I scanned the contents of the fridge and peered into the pantry, but no little light bulb illuminated above my head. I knew I wanted something at least remotely good for me. And despite my burning desire to hop in the car and high-tail it to a fast food joint for some grease-filled joy, I restrained. I kept praying there would be something in my kitchen worth making.

All of a sudden, I remembered the Cheddar Quinoa Veggie Burgers I made a few weeks back. I was almost tempted to make those again, but then I realized something: I eat multiple veggie burgers a week, and I absolutely love them, so why haven’t I tried to craft my own original recipe yet?

Once that seed was planted in my head, there was no uprooting it . I rifled through the pantry, pulling together ingredients as if in some sort of trance, like the food spirits had taken over my body, and I was selecting ingredients according to their orders. In only a few minutes, I whipped the burgers together and popped them into the oven to get good and golden brown. Could a burger that pieced together so perfectly and effortlessly also turn out delicious?

Why yes, yes it could.Out of the myriad of frozen veggie burgers I’ve had, the handful I’ve eaten at restaurants, and the few recipes I’ve attempted, these Hearty Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers are, hands-down, the best veggie burgers I’ve tried yet. Don’t be fooled by the whole “veggie” thing; these are some meaty son-of-a-guns. I guarantee that just one of these hearty, flavorful burgers will fill you up with all its gut-busting goodness.

The key to the meatiness of these delectable devils is protein-packed black beans and chickpeas, hearty sweet potato, and filling brown rice. In combination, this tasty trio creates a burger that is not only substantial, but downright delectable. And don’t worry about missing out on protein; we’ve got beans, egg, brown rice, and cheese to take care of that.

Of course we need some dynamic flavor to dress up all the tasty components of these burgers, so I employed flavorful herbs like savory cumin, kickin’ cayenne, and fresh parsley. The finishing touch, which is optional but always recommended, is a blanket of gooey cheddar cheese.

I don’t even need a bun. Just give me the burger, and no one gets hurt.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Of course you can fry these, but you save fat and calories by baking them, and I don’t believe they’re any worse for the wear. I baked mine, and they were just fantastic.
2. These would also be wonderful topped with pepper jack cheese.
3. Avocado = a delicious topping.
4. Make these in the morning and refrigerate until the evening when you’re ready to eat.

Hearty Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked & drained brown rice
• 1 16-oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 a 15-oz. can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 2 big sweet potatoes
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup all-pupose flour
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Line a microwave-safe plate with paper towels. Place the potatoes on the paper towels and use a fork to poke holes in the top of each potato. Cook in the microwave on high for 13-14 minutes, or until fork-tender. Let the potatoes cool for a second then make a slit in the skins and squeeze the potatoes out of the skins. Discard skins. Roughly chop the potatoes.
3. In a food processor, puree the beans, chickpeas, and onion until smooth but slightly chunky.
4. In a large bowl, combine the rice, beans, chickpeas, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, cayenne, paprika, egg, flour, parsley, and potatoes. Mix well with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Use your hands to separate the mixture into 4 or 6 portions, depending on how big you want your burgers (I like big burgers, so I make four). Roll each portion into a ball then flatten out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Place burgers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are beginning to brown and warm in the center (they should be just about done). Sprinkle each burger with cheese and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and burgers are hot in the center. Serve plain or on a bun with your favorite toppings.