Amazing sweet potato black bean burgers bulked up with brown rice and seasoned with smoky cumin and paprika. Sweet, tender, flavorful, so healthy, and delicious.
Servings 12
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Ingredients
2 cups mashed sweet potato (~2 large sweet potatoes – organic when possible)
1 cup cooked salted black beans, rinsed and well drained (if unsalted, add more salt to the burgers)
1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice* (or sub cooked quinoa* with varied results)
1/2 cup walnut or pecan meal (or very finely chopped)
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (to taste)
optional: 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
optional: 1 Tbsp brown sugar (for added sweetness)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and cut sweet potatoes in half. Rub with olive oil and place face down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake sweet potatoes until soft and tender to the touch – about 30 minutes – set aside. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 C).
While potatoes are baking, cook rice or quinoa.
Add black beans to a mixing bowl and mash half of them for texture. Then add sweet potato and lightly mash, then 1 cup rice, green onion, nut meal, and spices. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more rice or nut meal if the mixture feels too wet. It should be very moist but moldable.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and line a 1/4 cup measuring cup with plastic wrap.
Fill the lined measuring cup with sweet potato mixture. Scrape down to pack, then lift out and transfer to the baking sheet and gently press down to mash. The thinner you press them, the faster they’ll cook, but no need to go too far. Just a gentle press will do.
Bake burgers for a total 30-45 minutes, carefully flipping 20 minutes in to ensure even cooking. The longer you bake them the firmer and drier they will get – up to preference. I went for around the 35-minute mark.
Serve on slider buns (double stack for more bulk) or atop a salad with sliced avocado, red onion, greens, or salsa.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Freeze for longer-term storage.
credit:minimalistbaker.com