Donna’s Hamburgers With Black Beans

How about this surprise? A burger that is lean and moist even when cooked well done. The secret is in the beans. Combine black beans, salsa and seasonings and mix it in with the ground beef. It is super tasty, super moist and it has a healthy bonus — high in good bean fiber.

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup egg beaters egg substitute or 1 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or semi-sharp paprika
2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning or salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1-1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the ground beef. Process until smooth. Taste the mixture and add additional seasoning to suit your taste.

Place mixture in a large bowl. Add ground beef and stir to mix well. Form into patties.

The mixture is very soft so it will work best if you use rubber gloves when forming the patties.

Patties can be fried in a non-stick skillet. They cannot be placed directly on a charcoal or gas grill grate, unless placed on a grill pan, because they break apart easily.

Note: If you would like to make them ahead of time, place patties on greased baking sheet. Place in freezer until patties are frozen and then place in plastic bags and return to freezer.

The black bean mixture can be made ahead. You can use it to make individual patties by combining 3 – 4 ounces of ground beef with a tablespoon of the bean mixture.

Serves 14 (3 ½ ounce patties) 

Nutritional Information per serving: 

Calories: 135
Fat, gm.: 5
Protein, gm.: 14
Carbs, gm.: 8
Cholesterol, mg.: 40
Fiber, gm.: 2.0