Continuing on my quest to find more meatless meals that my family can enjoy, I came up with a recipe for veggie burgers that includes mushrooms. I have always been in love with veggie burgers, really any kind at all. However, my husband, one of those “a meal isn’t a meal unless it has meat” souls, isn’t such an easy convert. Now that’s what I call a challenge!
My goal for making a veggie burger was making one that was hearty enough that it didn’t fall apart immediately and was filled with something that had some substance so that it would fill Ben up, and not feel like he needed a steak afterward. I also wanted to make sure to hide some nutrient rich foods in there knowing that all mixed together, no one would be the wiser!
First on my list to include was diced mushrooms. Those in my family (with the exception of me who will eat everything) are not the biggest mushroom fans, but it is solely because of the texture, not the taste. I figured dicing these electrolyte and vitamin D rich vegetables and including them would be a good idea. 😉 You can read more about the nutritional benefits of mushrooms from The Mushroom Channel.
On a bit of a side note, The Mushroom Council has some great information that they share on their site as well. As I was browsing the nutritional info that mushrooms pride themselves on, I came across this information about mushroom farming. We have the option of adding a mushroom share from Oley Valley Mushrooms at our CSA pick-up and so this week, I took them up on the opportunity assuming that the mushrooms would go to this. Now I can’t wait to head on over to Oley Valley Mushrooms and take a tour (hopefully they will have me)! 😉
Right now, including mushrooms into our meals by hiding them is the way to go. Eventually, I am hoping to bring them out in the open so that my family can enjoy all of the varieties and everything that they have to offer.
I also decided to add some red-stemmed spinach fresh from the farm, and an onion as well. This would be an easy recipe to change up and tailor to your vegetable desires.
Black Bean and Mushroom Veggie Burger Recipe
Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced mushrooms (I used entirely white buttons for this recipe)
3/4 cup shredded, chopped spinach (I used red-stemmed, but any variety will do)
1 1/4 cup oats, coarsely ground
3/4 cup chopped onion (I use red, but you can use yellow if that is what you have)
2 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp. cumin
6 cloves roasted garlic
Directions:
Step 1: Using a fork, press the beans in a bowl until they are fairly mashed.
Step 2: Mix in mushrooms and oats as well as garlic, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and cumin. Then mix in the spinach.
Step 3: Form into patties (you should get about 8 from this recipe).
Step 4: Grill or pan fry on medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side. Enjoy on a bun, topped with goat cheese (if you are not vegan), tomato, and onion. YUM!
*Note: I usually double this recipe and freeze the remaining patties. I will say that after defrosting, I would pan fry them because they usually break apart easily on the grill.
March is National Nutrition Month and the theme for 2013 is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day”. What a wonderful theme for not just this month, but for the whole year. Being that we are on this quest to go a bit more meatless in our everyday eating, I found a really great resource in The Mushroom Council. If your family is a fan of mushrooms, or even if they are on the fence and you too would like to see some other ways to include mushrooms in your diet, take a look at this “swapability” information. Mushrooms are a great substitute for meat in so many ways! They are a huge flavor enhancer as well as a frugal and nutrient rich alternative!
Make sure to check out The Mushroom Council on their other social media outlets as well: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Join in on March 20th’s Twitter Party from 8-9 p.m. EST to discuss all things mushrooms, following the hashtag #MushroomDish
*This was a sponsored post by The Mushroom Council. The Black Bean and Mushroom Burger Recipe and all opinions are my own.
I’m not a mushroom person but this looks good. Maybe I’ll try it!
Lindsay recently posted…How to Survive a Baby Shower
You would TOTALLY love them! Honestly, if you weren’t reading the recipe, you wouldn’t even know they were in there!
These look amazing and I love that they’re allergy-friendly for my son. Can’t wait to make them!
Kathryn @ Mamacado recently posted…Weekend of Food, Family and Fun
Great! You will have to let me know how they turn out!
Cannot wait to try these! They look super yummy – and just as healthy! Thanks for sharing!
YAY! You will have to let me know if you like them!
I just made a version of these and they were very yummy. I added some bell pepper and cilantro as well as some BBQ sauce because I didn’t have any worcestershire sauce. Loved them!
Oooh, I think they would be great with BBQ sauce! And adding peppers, I’ll have to try that now that they are plentiful in the garden. SO glad you like them and thanks for the ideas on additions!
These look fantastic! Just as a quick note, be sure to omit the worcestershire if you’re serving vegetarians, since it contains animal ingredients. As an alternative, may I suggest Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or light soy sauce) with a bit of liquid smoke?
Thanks Summer! I actually have a vegan variety that I purchase at Trader Joe’s made without anchovies and kosher varieties often lack the animal ingredients as well. A light soy sauce would work great too I am sure and thanks so much for the other suggestions! I realize it may be more difficult to find the alternatives I mentioned so these are great!
Tonight was the second time we’ve tried these and they are a massive hit with my meat eating family. I think they are absolutely delicious. I used a dark soy sauce instead if worcestershire also. Thanks so much.
I am SO glad you all like them Sammy! I’ll have to keep the soy sauce in mind since we don’t always have Worcestershire on hand!
Worcester sauce isn’t vegan.
Hi Lulu! Thanks for commenting. I use a vegan Worcestershire sauce that I buy at a local store. There are also numerous recipes for homemade Worcestershire sauce online. This is my favorite one: http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-worcestershire-sauce/
Enjoy the recipe!
Looks great! I’m going to try this as I have all these ingredients on hand. Wondering what kind of oats you used as some take longer to cook than others and I don’t want to mess this up
Sorry for the late response Katie! I use quick cooking oats for this. But honestly, I am not sure it would matter because they end up being uncooked (for the most part) since the patties are just grilled.
Hi! I never comment on recipes online, but I tried yours and LOVED it! It is so simple compared to other veggie burgers I’ve tried in the past, and the mushrooms and black beans go so well together.
I actually used the leftovers (since it’s just me) to create little patties for breakfast, with a side of potatoes, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli (my leftover fajita veggies), and salsa. It was so delicious, and now my favorite breakfast.
Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Oooh, that sounds amazing Liz! I am so glad you enjoyed them. They are a staple for my family in the summer!
These sound delicious! I’m going to make me batch today, but I’m going to sub kale for the spinach.
Diana So recently posted…Review: The Shard (Chronicles of Xax) | epic fantasy.
Hi, I’d just like to say this recipe is the best bean burger recipe I’ve tried so far. The texture is quite good and they stay together easily without the need for corn starch or eggs to be added, and it’s relatively simple to make. My only modification to the recipe was using cilantro instead of spinach, as I had cilantro that would have otherwise gone bad if it wasn’t used. Next time I may double the mushrooms as well, just to see what it’s like. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Thank you!!
I had to leave a comment because these are so delicious. I’m newly vegan so finding recipes that weren’t too extravagant are great. The second time I made them I ended up doubling the beans and adding quinoa and flaxseed for added nutrition and they still turned out great! Thanks so much!
Oooh, those are great additions! I’ll definitely need to try them the next time I make these. Thanks, Anna!
help I want to make my own veggie burgers but would also like to freeze them and use bean and Mushrooms do I cook the mushrooms first or is it safe to freeze raw
I freeze them raw! They have always turned out great when defrosting and cooking later.
Is it possible to bake these instead of pan fry them?
Good question, Jerome! I have grilled them and they turn out wonderfully. So, I imagine you could bake them easily! Enjoy!
We have made these are few times as everyone loved them! I am wondering how long you think any cooked leftovers would last in the fridge and the freezer.
Hi Tira! SO glad you guys like them! I have frozen these and used them a few months later after defrosting and they still tasted wonderful. When I save them in the refrigerator, I only save them for a few days. Sometimes I will cook them all and save them cooked and I find they last a little longer.