Pinto Bean Burgers

Made these because we had all the items on hand!

Pinto Bean burgers (from: https://www.marthastewart.com/1512581/pinto-bean-burgers)

Toasted almonds, panko, roasted red peppers, and feta add heft and flavor to these California-style veggie burgers. The patties can be made with any kind of beans. You can also swap homemade for a 15.5-ounce can -- just drain and rinse first. Source: Martha Stewart Living, March 2017


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallot
• 1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped, plus more for serving
• 1 3/4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 2/3 cup panko
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• Sprouts, sliced avocado, and lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. 
   

   1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add shallot and cook until soft, 3 minutes.
2. 
   

   2. Pulse shallot, almonds, beans, panko, 1/4 cup roasted peppers, and egg in a food processor until just combined. Season with salt and pepper, fold in feta, and form into four 3 1/2-inch patties. At this point, you can chill them for up to 8 hours so that they hold together better when fried. 
3. 
   

   3. Wipe skillet clean; heat remaining oil over medium-high. Cook patties, flipping once, 8 minutes.
4. 
   

   4. Mix yogurt and remaining 1/4 cup peppers. Spread on burgers and serve, with sprouts, avocado, lemon, and almonds.

My notes:
I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I added some ground cayenne and ground cumin to spice it up a bit more. I used a 15.5 oz can of pinto beans. I probably also added more feta (I used block feta, which I crumbled by hand) than 1/2 a cup. For the topping I used a mixture of sour cream and buttermilk because I didn't have Greek yogurt. I shaped the burgers and let them chill in the fridge for several hours, and they held their shape wonderfully as I was frying them. It made 4 burgers.

The burgers came together quickly and the DH liked them. They'd probably taste yummy with white or black beans, maybe not chickpeas or kidney beans which are slightly tougher. I served the burgers on top of a bed of greens with other veggies, and used the topping as the dressing. I would serve them again this way, as the burgers would probably be too dry for a veggie burger sandwich.

I would make these again.