As promised in the last post, here’s a delicious way to use pizza sauce besides on pizza.
With the recent heat, I haven’t wanted heavy meals or to stand over a hot stove. Veggie burgers are perfect in this weather: quick to prepare, fast to cook and satisfying without feeling heavy. I recently tried a spicy black bean burger variation inspired by recipes I saw online and adapted it to what my family likes.
Why I prefer this version:
- The burgers hold together well during frying. I don’t like it when patties fall apart mid-flip.
- I mash half the beans into a paste and leave the rest whole for texture — I enjoy the contrast of creamy and whole beans.
- Vegetables are finely minced in a food processor so you get flavor without obvious chunks, which helps with picky eaters.
- An egg acts as a binder, improving texture and adding protein.
- I use a generous amount of breadcrumbs to avoid a wet or mushy center and to help the patties stay intact while frying.
Note: I prefer beans cooked from dry, but well-drained canned beans work fine.
Pizza Black Bean Burgers
Deep brown and crunchy on the outside, tender and full of flavor inside, these meat-free Pizza Black Bean Burgers are finished with pizza sauce and melted mozzarella, and served on soft buns brushed with olive oil and Italian seasonings. They won over even the pickiest eaters.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed well)
- 1/2 green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped onion
- 1–3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, to taste
- 2 tablespoons pizza sauce
- 1 cup (or more) plain breadcrumbs (*see notes below)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- Canola or peanut oil for frying
- Additional pizza sauce for topping
- Grated mozzarella for topping
- Soft rolls for serving
Optional:
- Extra virgin olive oil and Italian seasoning to brush on the rolls
Instructions
- Add the green pepper, onion and garlic to a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
- Pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add half of the black beans, the Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pizza sauce. Pulse until the mixture reaches a guacamole-like consistency — slightly chunky but cohesive.
- Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the remaining whole beans, the egg and the breadcrumbs.
- Test the consistency: you should be able to roll the mixture into a ball and flatten it into a patty without sticking to your hands. If it’s too sticky, add breadcrumbs one tablespoon at a time until it holds together without becoming crumbly.
- Form the mixture into balls sized to your preference: golf ball for sliders, peach size for standard burgers, navel-orange size for large burgers.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high and add oil to cover the bottom by about 1/8-inch.
- When the oil shimmers, flatten each ball into a patty about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick. Fry as many patties as fit comfortably without crowding the pan.
- Fry about 3–4 minutes per side, until deep brown and crunchy on the outside.
- Transfer patties to a paper towel-lined platter and top immediately with grated mozzarella to melt.
- While the cheese melts, prepare the buns. Serve as-is or brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and toast briefly in the hot pan used for frying.
To serve:
- Place one patty on the bottom half of each roll, spoon warm pizza sauce over the melted cheese, and add the top half of the roll.
- *Breadcrumb amounts can vary by batch. In my tests I never needed less than 1 cup, but you may require more to achieve the right consistency.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use #foodiewithfamily so I can see your results!