Here’s an easy recipe you and the kids can enjoy making and eating together. It has just a few simple ingredients, it’s easily customizable, and can be cooked in multiple ways. It also combines two of the healthiest foods on the planet, beans and oats!
It starts with a can of black beans. Choose the lowest sodium variety you can find, even though the beans will be drained and rinsed. Canned foods like beans and vegetables are notoriously high in sodium and even if you rinse them they retain a lot of it.
The recipe call for quick oats. If you don’t have any quick oats you can make them by pulsing whole old fashioned rolled oats in a high speed blender. It takes 5 or 6 pulses to get them to the right consistency.
Here’s where the customization comes in. Choose a mild, medium, or hot salsa depending on your family’s preference but keep in mind that you will be adding another level of spice with chili powder and adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers if you choose to use it. The adobo sauce also adds smokiness. If you don’t want to use it you can get some smoky flavor with a few drops of liquid smoke or by using chipotle chili powder.
You can also add some chopped bell pepper or some corn to these burgers. Feel free to experiment!
The burgers can be cooked by baking them in the oven or by searing them in a cast iron pan. If you have an air fryer you can experiment with cooking them in that; it should make them nice and crispy. As long as the outside of the burger is crisp and the inside is fully heated they should be good.
The Southwest flavors pair nicely with avocado as a topping but there are a lot options that would work well. Try some additional salsa, sliced jalapenos, tomato, lettuce, you name it. Or just stick with ketchup and mustard.
You can watch a video of these burgers being prepared on the CGH YouTube channel.
Recipe:
1 can (16 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cups salsa
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Add beans to a large bowl and mash until there are very few whole beans remaining. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine thoroughly. Place mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375F if you will be baking the burgers.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop mixture onto baking sheet using a 1/2 cup measure. Flatten patties with the bottom or the cup or with your hands. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
You can create your patties and freeze them before cooking. Just make sure to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. Other methods of cooking include searing in a fry pan on the stovetop or using an air fryer. Direct grilling is not recommended. To grill them use a sheet of non stick aluminum foil on the grill.
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