I made it my mission this summer to find a great go-to veggie burger recipe. I tried a few options – sweet potato based, cauliflower and quinoa. But it wasn’t until I stumble across a recipe on Pinterest for California Burgers at Catching Seeds blog that I felt I was on the right track!

I was reminded of standby burger we used to enjoy simply and deliciously topped with mango avocado salsa and chipotle mayo. I immediately salivated!

These Black Bean Burgers don’t try to mimic meat per se, but they do provide a nice texture and earthy base for burger toppings and, for meat-eaters, they don’t have a particularly veggie taste or look.

The key to these black bean burgers is the texture accomplished by not over blending the onions and black beans as well as the use of oatmeal and carrots as filler. The ground flax acts as a binder along with a bit of honey. Yes, I’m aware this sounds like a strange combo, but I promise it works.

When I have time, I make my Soft Buns, which make a great burger bun. I really like being able to control the size to align with the size of the burger patties!

The mango and avocado salsa is great on its own too, or alongside a bowl of grains for a tasty lunch – so I always make lots. I also usually make more of the chipotle mayo than I need and store in a mason jar in the fridge to spice up sandwiches and wraps for a week or two after.

These Black Bean Burgers great for a summer party – they are baked rather than grilled, so they can be made ahead and slipped into the oven an hour before dinner leaving you to enjoy your friends instead of sweating it out by the BBQ.

Mission accomplished.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Avocado Salsa

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings 12 Burgers

Ingredients

For the Burgers

2 CANS BLACK BEANS Drained and rinsed
2 ONIONS Roughly Chopped
2 CLOVES GARLIC
JUICE OF 2 LIMES Can substitute 1 lemon
1 CUP GRATED CARROTS
2 CUPS QUICK OATS
1 1/2 TBSP HONEY Substitute Agave Syrup
1/2 CUP GROUND FLAX SEED
1/4 CUP WATER
1 TSP SALT Or to Taste
4 TBSP OIL

For the Salsa

1/2 CUP RED ONION Finely chopped
JUICE OF 2 LIMES Can substitute 1 lemon
2 AVOCADOS Cut to a small dice
2 MANGOES Cut to a small dice
1/4 CUP CILANTRO Roughly Chopped - I simply use scissors to cut directly into the bowl (the Nigella Lawson method)

For the Chipotle Mayo

2 CHIPOTLE PEPPERS IN ADOBO SAUCE Mashed and finely chopped
1/2 CUP MAYONNAISE
1/2 CUP SOUR CREAM
1/2 TSP GRANULATED GARLIC

Instructions

Make the Burgers

In a small bowl mix ground flax and water, set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the onions, beans, garlic and lime juice until well combined but leaving a little texture (my food processor is quite small, so I have to do this in two batches).
Add the bean mixture, flax and all remaining ingredients to a large bowl and mix well by hand until combined.
Oil two baking sheets really well (make sure there’s a visible coating of oil).
Form patties by hand (roughly 2/3 cup each) and place on baking sheets.
Bake at 450⁰ for 15 min, then flip and continue baking at 350⁰for another 40 min.

While the burgers are baking, make the salsa and mayo

In a medium sized bowl add the onions and lime juice and leave to pickle and sweeten
In a separate bowl, mash and chop chipotles into a paste. Add the granulated garlic, mayo and sour cream into the bowl and mix until just combined.
Back to the salsa – add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the onions and toss well.
Serve the burgers on your favourite buns with a good sized spoonful of salsa and a dollop of the chipotle mayo.