Vegetarian Mexican black bean and quinoa burgers

Black beans are revered in Latin cuisine for their meaty, earthy flavour. Quinoa, another South American export and tremendously popular 'super food', needs no introduction. When combined, these ingredients make an excellent burger patty. Feel free to flavour the patties however you like, but don’t forget the chipotle chilli. Its smoky heat brings the whole dish together.

Credit: Sharyn Cairns

• makes

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup quinoa, washed and drained
• 440 g tin black beans (see Note), rinsed and drained
• 80 g feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 chipotle chillies in adobo (see Note), chopped
• 2 tsp mexican seasoning
• juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 125 ml (½ cup) Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp adobo from above
• 1 tbsp olive oil 

To serve

• 4 whole meal bread rolls
• shredded iceberg lettuce
• sliced tomato
• sliced avocado

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220ºC. Combine the quinoa, a pinch of salt and 220 ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 13–15 minutes until tender. Drain well. 

Arrange the black beans on an oven tray lined with baking paper and transfer to the oven. Bake for 13–15 minutes until the skins begin to split and the black beans feel dry. Cool for a few minutes.

Place the black beans in a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped. Add the quinoa, feta cheese, chipotle chilli, Mexican seasoning, lemon rind and half the lemon juice. Process until finely chopped and the mixture binds together. Divide the mixture into 4 and form into burger patties the same size as your buns.

Combine the yoghurt, adobo sauce and a pinch of Mexican seasoning in a bowl. Season to taste then mix in enough lemon juice to balance the flavour, 1–2 tablespoons.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the burgers in the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp.

Spread the burger buns with chipotle yoghurt and place a burger on the bottom half. Layer the burgers with tomato, avocado and shredded lettuce. Drizzle with the remaining yoghurt and cover with the burger bun top. Serve immediately.

Note

• Common in Mexican cuisine, black beans are sold pre-cooked in cans. Chipotle chillies in adobo are dried, smoked jalapeno chillies sealed in a spicy tomato sauce. You can buy these items from international delicatessens or from the Mexican section of some supermarkets.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Rachel Lane. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.