Simple BBQ Black Bean Patties by Jennah Jensen
Burgers are one of those indulgences that are a favorite among many households but are often very processed. Making your own patties out of wholesome black beans is a great solution but many of the recipes that I’ve seen call for an elaborate list of fancy ingredients, involving a lengthy cooking process. While those recipes are absolutely divine, I wanted to devise a recipe that could serve as a happy medium between health conscious and time friendly for busy parents, while using ingredients you probably already have. These simple bbq black bean patties are extremely hearty and are packed full of key nutrients such as iron, protein, calcium and fiber to name a few! They can be served as a traditional burger with a bun and all your favorite fixings or on their own as finger food dipped in your favorite condiments. Perfect for school lunches, family burger night, or as grab and go play snacks to keep your family fuelled strong!
Makes 5-6 medium sized patties.
Ingredients:
15oz can low sodium black beans
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup extra firm tofu, pressed or pre-pressed (Hodo Organic Extra Firm or Nasoya Organic Super Firm are great)
4 tablespoons bbq sauce (I’m using Kinder’s Organic Mild BBQ)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons liquid aminos or tamari (soy sauce will also work)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking Method:
Start by preparing your tofu. If you’re using a press, do this step ahead of time. If you were lucky enough to find pre-pressed tofu, simply drain the excess liquid from the package. If you don’t have access to a tofu press or pre-pressed tofu not to worry, you can still totally make this recipe but you will want to make sure you get as much liquid out as possible. A makeshift way to do this is to use a nut milk bag or clean dish towel to squeeze the excess liquid out, similar to how you would use a piping bag for frosting! Once it’s good to go, crumble into a measuring cup up to the 3/4 line and set aside.
** The tofu adds wonderful texture and nutrition to these patties so It’s worth the extra step to press, however, I want to note how important removing as much liquid from both the beans and tofu is! Much of the flavoring in this recipe is coming from liquid sources (such as bbq sauce + liquid aminos) which helps to keep this recipe easy peasy but that also means we have to eliminate liquid from other areas! If your bean mixture contains too much liquid it will be extremely difficult to mold into patties.
Drain your can of beans and blot them as dry as possible with paper towels, do not rinse.
Add all dry ingredients to a food processor (oats, garlic powder, onion powder + pepper). Process until a rough flour-like consistency is achieved.
Add in the remaining ingredients (beans, tofu, bbq sauce, oil + liquid aminos). Pulse several times until thoroughly combined, stopping to scrape down if necessary. Try not to over-process.
Preheat your oven to 350F. or about 180C. As your oven is heating, mold the bean mixture into patties. Using clean hands, take about a medium handful of the mixture and roll into an even ball, then slightly flatten out into a patty shape. Creating smaller nugget or meatball shapes are also fun for lunches or grab and go snacks! Place patties on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. ** If you find yourself in the predicament of the mixture being too mushy to roll into a ball, try scooping out each patty serving onto the baking tray and letting them get some air for about 10-20 minutes before trying to form them again. You could also add more processed oats but this will make for a very dense patty.
Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes then using a spatula flip and bake for another 15 minutes. Cooking times may slightly vary. Allow to cool off before eating!
Jennah Jensen is a vegan, blogger and recipe extraordinaire! You can follow along her adventures, find her recipes and be inspired by her musings here and follow along on Instagram @jennahjensen