Guilt-Free BBQ: Red Hot Black Bean Burger + Baked French Fries
Filed under Live Well Recipes on May 22 13 by Lauren D'AlessandroEnjoy a burger and fries at your next summer BBQ—minus the guilt! Black bean burgers are one of my favorite non-meat burgers. They’re so flavorful and hearty, and I actually prefer them to ground beef. Kick this ordinary burger up a notch with the delicious spicy flavors of hot sauce and red peppers, and add a side of baked fries to round-out the meal!
Red Hot Black Bean Burger
Makes 4-6 burgers
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 1 egg (or substitute)
- 2 15 oz. cans of black beans
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2-3 tbsp hot sauce
- Grated carrots (optional)
- Spinach or arugula (optional)
- Whole grain burger bun
Directions
- Heat a skillet or grill to medium-low heat.
- Rinse and drain the beans and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Finely chop onions and red peppers and add to bowl. Add eggs, hot sauce, and breadcrumbs. Using a potato masher, mash the beans and mix the contents of the bowl together. You could use a food processor for this part, but I prefer to do it by hand—I think it gives the burger a better texture, and being able to see the red pepper and bean skins give it more color.
- Divide the mixture evenly and form burger patties (make sure you firmly mash the ingredients together). Heat the patties on the skillet or grill for about 5-6 minutes on each side until the patties are thoroughly browned.
- Lightly toast your bun, if desired, add your finished black bean patty, and top with a bit of grated carrots and arugula (I used spinach, because that’s what I had, but I like the flavor of arugula best with this burger).
Baked French Fries
Makes one serving of french fries.
Ingredients
- Medium Potato (for multiple servings, use one potato per serving)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chile powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- After washing the potato, carefully slice lengthwise into long pieces. For shorter fries, like mine, cut the longer strips in half once again.
- Soak the potato pieces in hot water for about ten minutes.
- In a small bowl, drizzle fries with olive oil and add salt, pepper, and chile powder to taste. Stir until evenly coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay fries on top. Cover with tin foil and bake on lower rack for five minutes.
- Remove tin foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through cooking.
- After fries have cooled a bit, serve them plain or with your favorite ketchup or dipping sauce.