I have been making variations of this recipe for many years now…beginning in college when I was working, had Piper, was taking full-time classes, and still wanted to keep nourished while not having much time. I would make a big batch, and freeze it in various jars so I could pull one out whenever I wanted to eat them for a few days.
This recipe is SUPER versatile. Can be made into a patty and put between bread with the classic burger fixings (shown) with or without fries, instead of break you can use steamed collard greens or fresh radicchio or lettuce leaves. It can be made into a patty and put over a salad with a dressing/sauce, or made into a scramble with a cracked egg on top, etc. The possibilities are endless! That is why its a great one to make a batch of and eat throughout the week- it doesn’t get old!
As always, these amounts are a rough guideline. It is a very forgiving recipe and you can kind of keep adding this-or-that until it is the consistency you want! I like to make a big batch and freeze- but you can also dial it down by cutting it in half.
Ingredients
- 2-ish cups cooked (or canned) pinto beans. I always have dried anasazi or pinto beans in the pantry. It’s a great thing to have on hand (especially right now…re: COVID-19). An inexpensive, nourishing food that can be utilized in endless delicious ways. Plus when bought in bulk at the farmers market or grocery store-zero-waste!
- 2-ish cups boiled sweet potato (skin on)
- 1-ish cup cooked quinoa or brown rice or really any similar grain you have on hand
- a few tbsps of bread crumbs or a GF substitute
- 1 small onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 pasture raised egg (or vegan substitute)
- spices (and such) of choice: I like smoked paprika, chili powder, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. You could also put some tomato paste in there or whatever other things your heart desires!
- You can use slices of bread or buns to place it between. Or pieces of lettuce or collard greens or radicchio leaves.
- Optional fixings: mayo or aioli of choice, tomato slices, red onion, lettuce, pickles, a handful of fresh basil, cheese, bacon, an egg…really anything you think sounds good!
- Serve with some oven fries- my method: toss sliced yukon potatoes with a lot of olive oil, salt, and desired spices/herbs (rosemary, coriander, garlic powder are a few of my favorites). Lay them out evenly on a sheet pan or cast iron skillet (DO NOT CROWD- use two pans if you need to) 425* F oven. bake until golden- flipping once and checking every 10ish minutes until they've reached your desired crispiness. Toss with more seasonings if you want.
Directions
- Cut sweet potato into chunks and boil until soft
- Boil beans (soaked overnight) with a hearty pinch of salt until soft
- Cook grain of choice as per instructions
- While those are doing their thing- chop onion, garlic, and red pepper into small pieces.
- Once everything is cooked and chopped, combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mash with (clean) hands. Really go for it. Basically, the idea is that that sweet potato is going to help bind everything together like a paste. The beans should be half-mashed. Again, the recipe is forgiving so add more of less of everything until you feel like you have a good working consistency. You really can’t go wrong. Add the spices and mash again. You want it to be kinda paste-like and wet- with chunks of the beans, pepper, onion, etc. still intact.
- Once you feel good about your mixture, you’re ready to shape them into patties and start cookin’!
- I cook mine on a cast iron with some oil or whatever cooking fat I have on hand. Sometimes they can get a little crumbly and that’s ok. Usually though once they get a good sear they hold together well.
- Once one side is nice and seared, flip over and put on the cheese (if you’re using it). Cover and let cook until equally seared and the cheese is how you want it to be.
- Prepare like a burger. Or however else (some suggestions above!).
- Enjoy!
