Black Bean & Winter Squash Veggie Burger

This hearty flavor-packed veggie burger is made with black beans and winter squash along with corn, onion, and quinoa.  Its spices are southwest inspired, it’s amazingly good for you, and I am really enjoying this as a new way to eat lots of winter squash (sans cinnamon, maple, and those other common autumn flavors that I’m getting a little weary of). 

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making veggie burgers for quite some time, but I worried they’d fall apart without some sort of processed soy-based binder.  I was wrong!   6 Tablespoons of oats – ground to a grainy flour via food processor – and these babies stick together like magic.  Thanks to Edible Perspective for the insight!




The list of spices that get thrown into these is long, but none are totally critical other than the cumin & chili powder.  If you don’t have coriander powder on hand, for example, don’t let that stop you from trying these burgers.



See how nicely they hold together?  And their bright colors are quite lovely!  You can cook these burgers two different ways – a quick pan fry for a golden brown crust (below), or baking in the oven on parchment paper.  Both yield delicious results so do whatever is easiest for you.

Black Bean & Winter Squash Burger

Yield: approx 9 burgers
Recipe Inspiration: The Burger by Edible Perspective

• 6 Tbsp oats (ground into grainy sand via food processor)
• 1 1/4 c black beans (cooked)
• 2 cups winter squash (cooked).  Winter squashes aren't all created equal, so try to choose a dry variety of winter squash (kabocha, butternut, red kuri) rather than something really soft and wet (like delicata).
• 1/2 cup quinoa (cooked)
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1T olive oil

Burger Spices

(Cumin is most important, other than that none are required. Mix and match based on what you’ve got & what sounds good to you!)

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder

Grind the oats in a food processor until they’re grainy & sandy. Just a few pulses.
Put the black beans into a bowl, then mash them with a fork.  Goal is to have about 1/2 mashed and the other 1/2 fairly intact.  Dump oat flour, squash, quinoa, corn, onion, garlic, and olive oil into the bean bowl.  Stir well to combine.  Add all the spices.  Mix well.
Form the burgers into patties with your hands.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  You may either pan fry them (3-4 minutes per side on medium heat) or bake them (350 for 15 minutes per side).  We tried both ways, and really couldn’t tell a difference.