Jalapeno-Red Bean-BBQ Burgers

EdsGirlAngie's Note:

Moist, delicious vegetarian alternative to boring frozen veggie burgers. These are easy to make and taste wonderful on whole-grain buns with some cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce for crunch. Be watchful while cooking these ... the sugar content in the barbecue sauce can cause the burgers to blacken kind of quickly. Tastes great on the grill, too ... just keep an eye on them!

• Total Time: 31 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 6 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped and seeded plum tomato
• 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno chiles, more if you like or 1 teaspoon serrano pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed,well drained
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I like homemade or Uncle Dougie's, a brand out of Barrington, IL)
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 4 whole grain buns, toasted

Toppings

• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 4 leaves lettuce
• 4 slices thick tomatoes
• avocado, slices
• barbecue sauce (Whatever else floats your boat ... sour cream?)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add next onion, plum tomato, jalapeno, garlic and chili powder; sauté 5 minutes.
3. Cool slightly.
4. Using fork, coarsely mash beans in bowl.
5. Combine with onion mixture, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce and egg white.
6. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.
7. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) It will look as though these little burgers will just fall apart and turn to mush, but they stay together really well once they"hit the pan"!
8. If grilling, oil the rack or spray grill rack with nonstick spray, then fire up coals to medium heat.
9. If pan-frying, heat a little olive oil over medium heat.
10. Place patties on grill or in skillet and cook until golden brown and heated through, about three minutes per side.
11. Place burgers on buns.
12. Serve with more barbecue sauce, and cheese, tomato, lettuce, avocado, or whatever topping you like!

Reviews

[Nooby Chef]

This was yummy! I followed the directions except that I used black beans instead of kidney beans due to a personal preference and added 1 Tbs of chopped green bell pepper. I thought that these had a very good flavor and loved the addition of barbecue sauce in the recipe, you can really taste it! :D They also look very nice. I made mine thin and cooked them on a skillet 3 minutes on each side, after cooking they were just a little crumbly but nothing to worry about if you use a spatula to put them on the bun. Thanks EdsGirlAngie! Update: I have made again at least 3 times since reviewing. I like to put in a whole egg and a little bit of oatmeal and it seems to help them hold together better. Also, making them thicker helps them not to fall apart and I have had success baking these in an oven at 350^ till they looked and felt done.

[spiritussancto]

i'm sorry i totally disagree with the other reviews. these were complete soup until i added over a cup of breadcrumbs and they did not hold together at all before, during, or after cooking. moreover, they were very bland even though i added quite a lot more chili and jalapeño then called for. i might use kidney beans as a base for burgers again but not without a lot more binding agents and a heck of a lot more flavor. these were time consuming, annoying, and totally tasteless. will not make again.

[Babydoll_1313]

Not bad. I added cayenne and cajun spices to give it more of kick. Much cheaper than buying frozen vegetarian patties at a grocery store.