How about a delicious veggie bean burger with a golden brown bean-patty sandwiched between butter-toasted buns, smothered in sweet and spicy Sriracha-mayo sauce!
I prefer using canned beans for this recipe. Simply rinse out and drain the canned beans.
If using dry beans, rinse and soak beans overnight in about 4 cups of water. Rinse out before cooking. Turn the Instant Pot on. Add beans, 1.5 cup fresh water, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and close the lid. Set the valve to 'sealing' position. Cook on beans mode for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and open the lid after the pin drops. Drain the beans.
Make Burger Patties
Drain the beans and add them to a large mixing bowl. Using a fork or a potato masher, mash the beans gently. You want them to hold together in a patty, so leave them a bit chunky, don't make a paste out of them.
Add Taco seasoning mix, chopped peppers and spinach, corn, cheese, egg or breadcrumbs, whichever you prefer to use, and mix everything well.
Roughly score the patty-mix into 8 or so portions. Wet your palms with water and take one portion and gently shape it in a round patty. Alternatively, use anice-cream scooper to scoop a portion and shape with your hands. Using this technique, form all patties and keep aside.
As an optional step, you can coat these patties lightly with Panko breadcrumbs to get a nice crunch on the outside. Spread some breadcrumbs on a plate and gently press down the bean patty in it. Flip the patty and repeat.
Cook the Patties
Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil (or any clear oil) and place the patties in. Cook them 6-8 minutes on each side, till they turn golden brown. This time may vary, depending on the type of skillet and heat intensity.
Prepare Sriracha-Mayo sauce
Mix mayonnaise, ketchup, Sriracha, agave nectar and apple cider vinegar till it becomes a smooth mix. Check the taste and adjust to your liking. Refrigerate the sauce till ready to use. This sauce can be made 3-4 days ahead of time.
Build your burger
Warm or toast your burger buns using a little butter. This is an extra, but totally worth-it step.
Spread some sriracha mayo sauce on the bottom bun. Place 1 or 2 patties on top, depending on your taste preference. Spread another teaspoon or two of the sriracha sauce.
Place a slice of pepper-jack cheese, top that with slices of tomato and lettuce of your choice. Finally, spread some sauce on the top bun and place it on the lettuce, to finish building this masterpiece! Time to dig in!
Notes
The total time calculation for this recipe is based on canned beans.
This recipe can be made with any kind of beans, black, pinto or kidney.
I prefer to make recipe this using canned beans for extra convenience and making this a 30-minute meal.
Sriracha Mayo can be made 3-4 days ahead of time. Refrigerate the sauce till ready to use.
The bean patties can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen. To serve, thaw if frozen, brush with oil and grill them for 1-2 minutes on each side on medium-heat.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.