Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

 

I know that beans as a whole may not generate a ton of initial foodie excitement, but they really should. Beans are versatile, cheap, and you can add them to a ton of dishes to boost the nutritional value. Per 1/2 cup serving most beans pack in around 7 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, as well as lots of nutrients like iron, potassium, and magnesium–which all runners need to get in their diet!

One of my go-to lunches at home, or after the gym when I don’t feel like cooking, are the Morningstar spicy black bean burgers; they are easy to throw in the oven with zero thinking required. But, I hate that they cost almost $1 per burger, and since beans are one of the cheapest foods out there I knew I could probably make my own for half the cost. The recipe is pretty simple, and doesn’t take a lot of prep work in the kitchen. My version also contains significantly less additive ingredients. Cheap, simple, and delicious, you can’t go wrong.

My smoky chipotle black bean burgers would be a great recipe to prepare on the weekend to have during the week. The recipe makes 8 burgers that get frozen immediately until you are ready to throw them in the oven. So anytime you need a quick meal, just pull one or two out of the freezer and pop them under the broiler in your oven. You could serve them on a wheat bun with avocado and tomato for a veggie-packed meal, or eat them plain with ketchup or BBQ sauce on top (my preferred way). Either way, they are delicious and packed full of good-for-you ingredients. I also added some great smoky flavor with liquid smoke and chipotle seasoning, because lets be honest, plain black beans are boring.

 

 

{Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Burgers}

Black beans are a versatile meat-free plant protein that also packs some serious fiber and antioxidants. Each vegetarian black bean burger has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. PLUS beans count towards your daily 2.5-3 cups per day vegetable requirement. You can use instant brown rice, or cook up some brown rice in a rice cooker before assembling the burgers.

 

• 2 15oz cans black beans
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup canned corn, drained
• 1 green pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup oat flour*
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chipotle seasoning
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

 

Directions:

• Rinse black beans in a colander and pat dry on some paper towels. The goal is to remove as much extra moisture from the beans as possible.
• In a food processor, blend 3/4 of the black beans until no whole beans remain.
• In a large bowl combine the blended beans with the 1/4 remaining whole beans, cooked rice, corn, diced pepper, oat flour, egg whites, olive oil, and all the spices. Stir together until combined.
• Form into 8 patties about 1/2 inch thick, and freeze in a single layer on parchment paper for at least two hours before baking. Once frozen solid, you can stack frozen burgers between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a ziploc until ready to use.
• To bake: turn oven broiler on 500 degrees, and line a pan with aluminum foil. Broil 7 min on one side, carefully flip, and broil 5 min on the other side. The edges should darken and get crispy!

*You can make oat flour by adding regular rolled oats into a blender and blending until it looks like flour. Then simply measure out 1/2 a cup after blending.

 

Nutrition info per burger: 155 calories, 26 g carb, 8 g pro, 2 g fat, 5 g fiber