Tried every black bean burger on the planet and needing to switch up your veggie patty? These are loaded with flavor, and are really quite fast to put together, especially if you have ready-to-use beets. See time-saving tips below for beets and grains! Happy colorful eating, friends!
5 small pre-cooked beets, diced*
1 1/2 C cooked wild rice (brown would be fine too)**
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 jalapeno, ribbed & seeded, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, very roughly chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat oven to 400.
In a food processor, add beets, garbanzo beans, rice, jalapeno, garlic, balsamic and spices. Pulse several times, until everything is mixed together, but not pureed. Scrape down sides as you go to get it well incorporated. Form the mixture into patties--I like to form a 2" ball in my hands, and then smash it flat and fixes the edges. Place patties 1-2" apart on baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until bottoms are golden, then flip and bake another 10-12 minutes, until firm.
Dress your burger with any of the following combinations you like: raw or sundried tomatoes, raw or sauteed onions and mushrooms, smashed & salted avocado, spinach leaves, steamed or baked kale leaves, eggplant pesto, etc. This is the fun part! You get to make it as simple or as decadent as you want! I had leftover Eggplant Pesto (will be posting soon) that was TDF on this burger. Yummmmmm.
*Time saver: buy the pre-cooked ones from Love Beets (@Costco). Or, just roast beets ahead of time and store in fridge. Once they're cooked, the skins will slip off much more easily than trying to shave them raw! 425 for 45-60 min, wrapped in foil, should do the trick. Once they're cooled (they keep steaming in the foil a bit), the skin should rub right off!
**I like to keep cooked grains in my fridge, usually rice, but sometimes quinoa or millet. You could use any cooked grain you have on hand for these, or substitute rolled oats. You can also check your local stores for pre-cooked grains, more and more of them have pre-cooked rice, most often in their freezer section! (Trader Joe's for sure.) If you are cooking your rice from scratch, just get that started first while you get everything chopped (even your condiments).
Adding Happy + Healthy one delicious meal at a time,
Sarah