Sweet Potato Black Bean {veggie} Burgers

On a whim one night many months ago I made the Pioneer Woman’s black bean burger and fell so in love with it I was hoping to find a burger recipe similar but with sweet potato added. I was actually hoping the Pioneer Woman would have such a recipe but a quick google search did not produce one.

It did, however, produce an interesting looking recipe by Trisha Yearwood called “Sweet-Pea” Burgers which is essentially a sweet potato garbanzo bean (chick pea) combo. I’m not a huge fan of chick peas but it made sense to me that I could take TY’s recipe and substitute black beans for chick peas. Right? Clearly I thought so.

ingredients.

1 large sweet potato, holes poked with a fork, wrapped in foil
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp. chili powder
⅛ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. Panko-style breadcrumbs
½ c. finely grated Parmesan
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
olive oil
butter
sliced cheese (optional)

directions.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Set the sweet potato on the baking sheet and bake until soft, 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
When cool enough to handle, halve the sweet potato and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. Mash with the remaining ingredients. Form the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. I made four monstrous patties. Refrigerator overnight or cook immediately.
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat equal parts oil and butter, swirling them together. Add the patties to the skillet and cover. Cook until brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Add the slice of cheese when you have about two to three minutes of cooking time left. When done, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
Serve the burgers on toasted whole wheat rolls spread with mayo. Top with arugula and mashed avocado.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think about these burgers when I took my first bite but they grew on me as I ate my way through the patty. I wasn’t expecting such an overly sweet taste which is kind of funny since the base is at least half sweet potato. What I loved about the patty was how hefty or substantial it was. It wasn’t one of those flimsy veggie burgers that falls apart when you bite in – everything held together well. And by the end of the burger, I had dismissed the overly sweet taste and really just kind of dug the burger. If you are a sweet potato lover you will love this patty!

Recipe rating: 