Spicy Mexican-style bean burger
These spicy veggie bean burgers are full of flavour and texture and a great meat-free option for barbecues. If you like less heat, leave out the pickled jalapeños.
Each serving provides 445 kcal, 20g protein, 51g carbohydrate, 15g fat,16g fibre.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, cored, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 2 fresh green jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 400g/14oz tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (240g/9oz drained weight)
- 250g/9oz cooked Puy lentils (freshly cooked and drained, or a pouch)
- 1-cal olive oil spray
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 100ml/3½fl oz reduced-fat soured cream or dairy-free yoghurt
- 2 tsp chipotle in adobo
- 4 wholemeal burger buns, split
- 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, halved, thinly sliced
- 12 pickled jalapeño peppers
- 8–12 Little Gem lettuce leaves
Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red pepper and fresh jalapeños and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the spices, season generously with salt and cook for a further minute. Take off the heat.
Pat the kidney beans dry, then tip them into a food processor and add the onion mixture. Pulse to combine, retaining some texture. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the lentils and some salt and pepper.
With wet hands divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties. Lay them on a plate and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, spray the surface with oil, then add the patties. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, spraying with a little more oil before you turn them. Transfer the patties to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the soured cream and chipotle together. Place the burger buns, cut side up, under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes until lightly toasted. Spread each side of the burger buns with chipotle soured cream. Place the bean burgers on the bottom half and top with tomato, avocado, jalapeños and lettuce. Sandwich together with the bun lids to serve.
Recipe Tips
Freeze the chilled uncooked bean burgers on a tray until firm, then pack in a zip lock bag interleaved
with greaseproof paper. Defrost fully overnight in the fridge, then cook as per the recipe.