Summer is here, and that means burgers. I’m not just looking for any burger, though. I want a healthy burger that will be good for me and taste good. Since a quality grass-feed meat burger is a little out of budget, I’m going to go for a bean burger to get my summer burger on.
I like bean burgers because the beans provide a good source of protein and fiber that will keep me satisfied and be low in cholesterol and unhealthy fats. I also like to add another vegetable to bean burgers for flavor and because you can never have too many vegetables in your food! I added beets for great color and for the added fiber, folate and manganese beets provide.
Even though these burgers are healthy, I can’t really enjoy a burger without cheese. I’m firmly in the cheeseburger camp at all time. Kerrygold makes a great Aged Cheddar that works beautifully with these burgers. It doesn’t overpower the burger, and, one of my favorite things about Kerrygold cheeses, is grassfed.
You’ll also notice that these aren’t just burgers, but this recipe is a slider. These would be perfect for a party, but also perfect for portion control. I know if I have a giant burger (especially if it’s meat-based), I’ll eat the whole thing. A leftover burger is kinda odd. This isn’t always great if you’re looking to lose weight, or you’re small like me and a big burger is just too much food for one sitting. You can eat one slider with a salad, slaw, or other vegetables and feel full, but not stuffed.
When you eat these sliders, I can’t recommend eating these with pickles enough. The salty tang of the pickles sings with the melted cheese and the hearty earthiness of the slider patty. In my slider, I also swapped out the normal mayo, mustard, or ketchup for some mashed avocado (with always goes well with beets and black beans). I went with the usual lettuce leaf, and went for a personal favorite of a pretzel roll. Feel free to swap out and play with the toppings and bun (except the pickle. You really should try it!).
If you’re looking to cut down on carbs, try it open faced, or go protein-style and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. I would go for a Bibb or Butter lettuce because of their cup-like leaves. Lettuces with thick spines (like romaine or red lettuces) will snap easily and could make a big mess.
So this summer, consider a bean slider (with cheese, of course) and enjoy a burger that tastes good and is good for you.
This post was sponsored by Kerrygold. I was compensated with free product. All thoughts and opinions are, and always will be, my own.
Ingredients
- 2 cup cooked black beans
- 2 large raw beets, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1/2 c oat flour (or 1/2 old-fashioned oats, run in food processor until fine)
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 2-3 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder, cayenne, or chipotle
- salt, to taste
- Slices of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar
- Small slider buns (mine are pretzel buns)
- Mashed avocado
- Lettuce
- Dill Pickle spears (best pairing with these sliders hands down!)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine black beans, onions, and garlic into a food processor and pulse until beans are broken down a bit, but not pureed. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Put the beets to the food processor and run until beets are finely chopped and resemble mixed garlic. Add into the mixing bowl.
Add oat flour, soy sauce, and seasonings into the mixing bowl and throughly combined (using your hands works great here). If your mixture is a bit too sticky or wet, add a few tablespoons of oat flour and mix until less sticky.
With hands, form a 3x3” slide patties about 1/2” thick and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15-17 minutes on each side. Turn on the broiler and add slices of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar on top of each patty and broil for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Slice buns in half, smear the bottoms with mashed avocado, add some lettuce, then top with patty and top bun. Best enjoyed with several dill pickle spears.
Notes
Adapted from Begin Within Nutrition