The American Icon! 🇺🇸

Many roll though a drive through for this classic...you guessed it, we're talking about burgers!

The OG burger is all beef, drizzled with ketchup...and snuggled between two soft buns...this is delicious, don't get me wrong!

But what if we rethought the burger?

I don't just mean using turkey meat or chorizo instead of beef, although those two combined would be amazing!

I mean really rethinking burgers so that they can be delicious & nutritious…eat more veggies in a slightly more gluttonous form! Yep…I’m on board, what about you?

Let's start in the pantry...yeh you heard me right...I know there isn't any meat in here, but that's okay!

You don't have to have animal protein to make a burger awesome!

Almost anything you have in your pantry can be a made into a burger

• can of beans

• lentils

• rice

• a combination of 2 of those

• ...and even a can of tuna or salmon can be transformed into a burger.

The key to making a burger out of beans, legumes, or pluses is…smush half of the ingredients so that they act as a binder (without having to add eggs or flour).

Making Burgers

Black Bean Burger

For a black bean burger...

• Start with 2 drained cans of beans.

  • Run half through a food processor or you can smush them with your hands (totally up to you and what you want to clean😆). 

  • If you use the food processor you can also chop onions & carrots and add those into the burger!

  • I feel like with black beans I automatically think of Southwest or Mexican flavors...and if that's where you're mind went too...great instincts! 

• Stay in your pantry, you'll need some dried herbs & spices.

  • If you are going with Mexican/ Southwest flavors grab Cumin, Coriander, Paprika, and Oregano...start with like 1-2 tsp of each and adjust to taste.

• Stir everything until it comes together!

• Get a pan hot over medium high heat.

• Drizzle oil in the pan & oil your hands as well (this will make it easier to roll the burgers).

• Roll the burgers into spheres & then press the spheres down when they hit the hot pan.

Whatever bean or legume you're using to make these burgers, remember they’re already cooked, so all you have to do is heat the burger through! Easy weeknight win!

If you don't want to stand over the stove and wait for these to cook...you can toss these bean burgers in the oven, under the broiler for 2-3 minutes on both sides.

When the burgers are done, layer them on crunchy bun with your favorite veggies...for this burger in particular I recommend cilantro, avocado and tomatoes! You can even add a drizzle of chipotle mayo!

I suggest a crunchy bun because these burgers are pretty soft and I like the varied textures.

For the play by play on how to make the burger and more check out my Reels on IG: Lentil Burger, Black/Pinto Bean Burger

Try this instead of taco Tuesday!

The OG Burger…kind of…

Okay back to the OG burger...I'm not going to get wild & crazy with this, but this is a great tip to elevate your homemade burger.

• Start with ground beef...I really like a 90/10 mix, I know chefs out there swear by 75/25 or 80/20...but I don't like that much fat in my pan post cooking.

  • These numbers are the meat to fat ratio in the ground beef. 

• So start with 90/10 or the mix of your choice. Add in a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce, you can also use soy sauce. We are just looking for a little extra umami and a little flavor!

• I also like to add in sautéed carrots and onions.

  • I use the food processor to buzz up the carrots & onions until they are almost liquified and then add them to a pan with a little olive oil.

  • Sauté until just soft.

  • Allow to cool before adding them to the ground beef.

Pro-tip: The best way to do this is to cook the veggies first, let them cool in the bowl you're going to mix everything in, and then add in the ground beef...so that you're not getting multiple bowls dirty!

• Gently combine the veggies with the beef. When it's just combined, stop.

  • Be sure not to over combine, the meat can become tough if you work it too much…don’t “work the shit out of it” 🤣 if you know you know…if you don’t read or listen.

• Get your pan hot, no need to add oil (because the meat will release fat).

• Lube up your hands with olive oil.

  • I do this with every burger & meatball I make, it helps to prevent sticking, learned this trick from many an Italian Nonna…mine never did this...but other Italian Nonnas.

• Gently roll a meat ball, then press into a burger, and flatten in the sides.

Pro-tip: At this point, most would put the burger in the hot pan...but I recommend to press a small divot in the center of the burger. It doesn’t have to go all the way through the burger, just deep enough so that it looks like a crater. This prevents the burger from creating a dome on top, it keeps it flat throughout the cooking process.

• Cook the burger on both sides to your desired internal doneness. I like mid-well, closer to well...so depending on the size of your burger that can take 3-5 minutes on either side.

This burger is amazingly juicy because of the added veggies, it really is one of my faves! 🙌

Remember to take you & your family to a different country for dinner, open your spice cabinet and explore new flavors!