Bean burgers tend to get a bit of a bad rap, with most vegetarians and vegans seemingly turning to soy burgers or other meat imitations to get their burger fix instead. Whilst those certainly have their place as a once-in-awhile 'fast food' treat, for me there's still nothing better than a delicious, homemade healthy bean burger, packed full of fresh herbs, spices and vegetables.
These burgers are really easy to make at home yourself and as they are made with all fresh, healthy ingredients, you don't need to feel guilty about eating them either. This recipe suggests frying them in a pan, but you could also put them on a BBQ, making them the perfect summer meal!
Ingredients (makes 6-8)
1 large red onion
1 medium red pepper
1 medium green pepper
200g cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lime
150g tin sweetcorn (or use frozen)
2x 400g tin kidney beans
100g fine breadcrumbs
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup fresh coriander
Method:
Start by draining and rinsing the kidney beans and sweetcorn (if using frozen, defrost first) and add them to a big bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the beans until it resembles a paste - but don't worry if a few chunks or whole beans remain.
Next, dice the onion and peppers and add them to the bowl, along with the smoked paprika, fresh coriander, garlic cloves (peeled and pressed) and the juice of half the lime.
Wash the tomatoes and finely chop them so that they resemble a chunky salsa.
Add this to the mixture, along with the breadcrumbs, and mix. The mixture should become firmer but remain slightly sticky. If necessary, you may wish to add more breadcrumbs or a small amount of flour, but avoid making the mixture too dry.
Once everything is combined, begin shaping into burgers. The mixture should be sufficient to make 6-8 burgers, depending on how large you'd like them.
If frying on a stove, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Place 2-4 burgers in the pan at a time (depending on the size of the frying pan), and fry for roughly 5 minutes on each side, until they reach a dark brown colour.
Once cooked, transfer the burgers to a plate lined with kitchen roll, and gently pat to remove excess oil.
Remove them from the kitchen roll, drizzle over the juice of the remaining half of the lime, and enjoy.
I like to eat these burgers in a roll, topped with fresh avocado, tomato and salad, but if you'd prefer you can skip the bread altogether or enjoy them however you like.
If you try making this recipe yourself please let me know what you think in the comments below - I'd love to know how you enjoyed it!