Extended burgers

Save your bread crumbs and boost your protien by adding black beans to these burgers as a binder! This recipe has instructions for baking the burger patties, but they work just as well on a grill, or pan fried on the stove.

• 1 540 mL can black beans, drained and rinsed
  
  
• 1 medium diced onion, or 1 teaspoon onion powder
  
  
• 3 cloves minced garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
  
• pinch of salt and pepper
  
  
• 2 tablespoons mustard or Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 egg
  
  
• 1 lb (454 grams) ground beef
  
  
• 8 buns, and whatever toppings you like on your burgers

1. Preheat oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
   
   
2. Use a food processor to puree black beans into a paste, or place in large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher
   
   
3. Add onion, egg, and spices to beans, and thoroughly stir
   
   
4. Add ground beef, and mix until combined
   
   
5. Use your hands to shape mixture into 8 regular sized burger patties, and lay out on baking sheet
   
   
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until cooked through

• When shaping your burgers, take into account that they'll shrink a little when cooking. Make them a little larger than you want the finished product to be to make up for it. If your patties are very thick, use a spoon to press an indent in the center of each one so that they don't puff up while cooking
  
  
• Lean ground beef will make a less greasy burger. If you are using a fattier meat, you may want to pan fry them instead of baking, and drain the excess fat out into a jar before throwing away. Never pour fat down the sink; it can solidify in your pipes and cause big problems!
  
  
• You can half the size of these burgers to make sliders

• The seasonings are fully customizable to your taste, so feel free to experiment! Popular mix-ins include hot peppers or hot pepper flakes, bbq sauce, or soy sauce. Some people also like adding a splash of milk, because the enzymes in it can help tenderize the meat.
  
  
• Try making a cheeseburger by adding slices of cheese to the tops of your burgers during their last minute or so in the oven.

• Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days
  
  
• Alternatively, tightly wrap leftover patties in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 4 months in sealed container.

Recipe adapted from Canada's Food Guide

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!