Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

I've never been a big veggie burger person, but I've also never been a big red meat person, so discovering this recipe was rather life-changing. Even my red-meat-loving husband likes these! They are flavorful and filling, and I think they are fun to make :)

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes
Can or two of black beans
Quinoa if you want
Yummy spices
Oats to hold the whole shebang together

Cut into quarters or 8ths (depending on size) the sweet potatoes and cook in boiling water (until a fork comes in and out easily)
Drain it (I usually set aside 2 cups of that water to use for the quinoa to maintain nutrients, but it's really not necessary. The quinoa isn't necessary either)
Mash it

(If I am doing quinoa, I usually start it before mashing the potatoes to save time. I usually do about a cup of uncooked (I think? It doesn't really matter). Sometimes I'll add more spices to the water I'm cooking the quinoa in, just for fun) Quinoa is 1 cup of dry quinoa per 2 cups water - bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is mostly absorbed

Back to the sweet potato mashing: Dump in some spices (salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning are my faves) and then mix that all in, and then mash in the black beans
(I like to really rinse the black beans well before putting them in because rinsing out the liquid helps with the classic beans+flatulation issue - nobody wants that around during dinner)


After the beans and potatoes have been mashed together, I add in the quinoa (if I have it) and mix the whole thing around and around

If I have roasted red peppers, or any kind of peppers I feel like using then I'll often chop them finely and mix them in at this point. Or I put them on top, depending on what I feel like. Putting them on top means I don't have to chop them as finely so if I'm feeling lazy or if I forget then I'll just do that. Or I just don't do them and toss in a little extra black pepper to the mix.

Now I taste test!!! However the mix tastes is about how the burgers will taste. If I add spicy peppers the spices may come out a bit more, but that's about the only thing that changes.
So, taste test, add more of whatever you think you need. If they are too salty, don't panic, because the next step is to add oats

Preheat the oven! I think I usually do pretty hot, like 400 or even 425

Add oats - I usually just dump a handful in and see how it goes. The point of them is to make the burger hold together better and to make them crispy in the oven

Make the burgers, however big you want. I often add a little extra oats to the top and bottom (or just the top, again with the laziness thing) so that the outside gets crispier.

Pop them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (or just use some oil or butter or something to prevent from sticking. If you don't have parchment paper oats on the bottom are a good idea bc then they stick to the baking sheet instead of the actual burger). Cook them for like 10-15 minutes on each side or until they look browned/crispy, or until you don't feel like waiting anymore.
Keep in mind they fall apart easily, so it's good to have the plates or buns nearby and ready for a close transfer off of the cookie sheet


And then I put all kinds of things on top depending on what I have.
The first couple of times I did avocado and goat cheese
I also do peppers, crushed Doritos (or Tostitos Santa Fe style salad strips - at Shaws with the croutons), thousand island dressing (always), or whatever else I feel like. :) Jon likes them with sriracha.

Enjoy!!!! :)