Black Bean Burgers in a Quesadilla ‘Bun’
Black bean burgers have been on my list of recipe ideas for a while now. I had imagined somehow developing a recipe with a quesadilla bun, but could never quite figure out how. The second I saw this new tortilla folding trend I though aha! This is the exact solution I was looking for!
If making homemade black bean burgers is something new to you, I can promise you will find them easier than you think. Especially if you have a food processor! This recipe creates burgers that stay together very well with the addition of both egg and ground flax. Making the creamy chile de arbol salsa is optional but highly recommended!
Kitchen Tip!
Have you ever tried flax ‘eggs’? Using ground flax to help bind foods works great in place of (or in addition to) eggs! Combining 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water and letting sit for 5 minutes before adding to a recipe can replace one egg. If you have a particularly moist recipe, simply add ground flax directly to the mix and let sit 10-15 minutes will help bind it together. This is particularly helpful for recipes such as meatballs, baked goods, or veggie burgers!
Nutrition Tip!
I always recommend getting a wide variety of protein sources in your diet, these burgers are a great way to add plant based protein to your menu. Beans are exceptional protein source in the plant based world. Nuts and seeds are another protein source powered by plants. Vegetarian proteins also have some additional nutrients to note! This black bean burger recipe includes flax seeds which are also an excellent source of healthy fats including omega-3 fatty acids. Plant based protein sources such as beans and flax seeds also provide fiber, making them a great contribution to a filling and satisfying meal. Many plant based sources of protein are not considered complete, meaning they lack sufficient amounts of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein). I suggest eating a variety of protein sources and including grains (such as tortillas or rice) with your meals to provide the amino acids that may be lacking.
Black Bean Burgers in a Quesadilla Bun
Ingredients
- 2 (14 oz) cans black beans
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup oats
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed
- 1 tsp adobo sauce (from chipotle pepper can)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 Tbsp miso
- pinch salt & pepper
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 6-8 dried Chile de Arbol, seeds removed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 5-6 Burrito size tortillas
- 1 Avocado
- 2-3 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (about 1/2 cup per burger)
Instructions
- Open the cans of black beans, drain and rinse in a colander. Pat dry and set aside.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. While pan is heating, chop onion and peel and mince garlic cloves. Remove seeds from chipotle peppers and roughly chop.
- Cook onions for a few minutes until starting to soften. Add minced garlic, chopped chipotle peppers and adobo sauce and cook for one minute longer, remove from heat.
- To a food processor, add oats and pulse until finely ground. Next add the rest of the spices, miso, and sautéed onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper mixture. Pulse until well combined and is the texture of a thick paste.
- Next add eggs and half of the black beans. Pulse again until well combined but not completely smooth.
- Pour mixture from the food processor into a large bowl. Add the other half of the black beans and stir to combine using your hands or a large spoon. The mixture should feel too wet to form patties.
- Add the ground flax seed and mix well. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes to thicken. (While waiting, make the chile de arbol salsa.)
- After mixture has set up, form into 5-6 patties depending on preferred size. Heat a cast iron, or heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and add black bean patties. Do not over crowd pan or else they will be too difficult to flip, you may need to cook them in 2 batches.
- Cook on one side for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned, carefully flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time. You may need to add an additional 1 Tbsp olive oil when you flip burgers if pan has gotten too dry.
- Remove from pan and set aside on a plate to cool while you assemble burgers Wipe out pan with a paper towel if necessary, assemble burgers and cook in the same pan.
- Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add sliced onion and smashed garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes and then add dried chiles and cook for 2 minutes more. Add can of tomatoes with lime juice, stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic, chile, and tomato mixture to a blender. Add salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Set aside for black bean burger assembly.
- (Refer to pictures above to clarify instructions)
- Slice tortilla from the middle straight down to the outer edge.
- Place black bean burger on the bottom left of the tortilla, just to the left of the slice in the tortilla.
- To the top left quarter of the tortilla, add avocado and creamy chile de arbol salsa.
- Add shredded cheese to the right two quarters of the tortilla (about 1/4 cup per quarter of tortilla).
- Fold the tortilla by first folding the quarter with the black bean burger up (so the burger is sitting on top of the avocado quarter). Then fold to the right, and lastly fold down. The cheese should be on the outside edges of the fold with the burger and avocado/salsa in the middle.
- Place in pan while still hot from cooking the burgers, cover with the lid. Cook for 2 minutes or until tortilla is toasted and cheese is starting to melt. Carefully flip and cook other side.
- Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, or any other toppings you prefer!
