Looking for a quick and frugal meal?  And one that’s heart healthy and plant-based too? Then check out this simple recipe for black bean burgers that goes together fast and is easy on the budget.

I’d been looking for some type of plant-based substitute to make a burger because those frozen meat substitute patties you can buy at the store just weren’t doing it for me.  I found them to have kind of a bouncy texture and I wasn’t real crazy about the taste either.  So I had to find a way to just make my own!

I finally came across a “burger” recipe in one of the books I’d bought (The Campbell Plan) that used black beans, was super easy to make, and tasty too. Another happy surprise was that when you replace a pound of ground beef with a can of beans you spend a lot less money!  So this recipe has now made it into my recipe box and is one of the latest additions to our regular meal planning rotation.

The original recipe made enough for four people, and being at the empty-nester stage of life I found it made sense for me to adapt the recipe to just make Black Bean Burgers for Two.  I’ve also been cooking my own black beans in the crockpot (rather than buying cans) which makes it easy to portion out and then freeze the cooked beans in any size portions I need.

A 15 oz can of black beans is equal to about 1½ cups of cooked beans. For this recipe I use the equivalent of half of the can, or about ¾ cup of cooked beans.  If you’re using a 15 oz can of beans for this recipe, drain and rinse the beans and then just use about half of the can.  The remaining half of the beans can be put in a ziploc bag and frozen for later use.

How To Make Black Bean Burgers

The first step to making these burgers is to mash up the beans.  After trying different tools, I found that a plain old fork seemed to work the best.  I mash until there are no whole beans left, but still some lumps and visible bean parts.

The other ingredients are easy too.  Some ketchup and mustard, some garlic powder and onion powder, and some oats to help hold everything together. The mixture can then be formed into two patties and placed on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper, and baked for about 15 minutes, turning them once.

We like to eat our black bean burgers on a whole grain bun and add a nice juicy slice of tomato and some greens (we like romaine).  Another favorite way I like to eat these burgers is to make them an Olive Burger by adding lots of chopped green olives with some of the Hellman’s brand of vegan mayo.

Even if you’re not necessarily trying eat more plant-based meals, you might still find these Black Bean Burgers to be a great addition to your recipe stash. They’re a tasty and thrifty last-minute meal that can be quickly mixed together using budget-friendly ingredients from the pantry.

Here’s the complete recipe:
(Adapted from the Quick Burger recipe in the book The Campbell Plan)