The Ultimate Homemade Meatless Black Bean Burger

In our latest free weekly newsletter, we gave the spotlight to the underappreciated veggie burger. To read the newsletter click HERE. To subscribe, click HERE.

I have to give all credit to my assistant and friend Joey Mock RD, LD, CLT for giving so much energy to making this delicious veggie burger. It was certainly a labor of love but after one bite, it was well worth the time. If you are ready to make the most delicious homemade meatless burger you have ever tasted, here's the recipe.

The Ultimate Meatless Black Bean Burger (a labor of love) By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT This restaurant quality meaty Meatless Black Bean Burger recipe is mouthwatering deliciousness. From the flavor to the texture, you may even find that the beef eaters in your life refrain from asking “where’s the beef?” when sinking their teeth into this burger. To give you a heads-up, this recipe is quite the labor of love to prepare however, with a little planning and batch preparation, it is well worth the effort. The recipe makes 6 meal sized burgers. To make your efforts worthwhile, I would suggest making a double (or even triple) batch and freezing the extra patties for later use. Other time saving tips: purchase pre-shredded/sliced/minced ingredients like mushrooms, cheese, and garlic (or shred, slice, chop, grate, or mince ingredients ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use); roast your tofu, mushrooms, beans, and beets ahead of time (maybe even incorporate extras to have as a side for another meal and then use the leftovers in this recipe); and cook extra brown rice at another meal and refrigerate the leftovers to use in this recipe. Ingredients 7 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained 2 tablespoons olive oil 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (white or portobello), washed, trimmed and sliced ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly grated black pepper, to taste 1 (~15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 medium to large sized beet, peeled and coarsely grated ¾ cup almonds ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs ⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce 2 green onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped ¾  teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup cooked brown rice   Preparation Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into ¼-inch thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel. Brush both sides of tofu with olive oil and arrange on one half of a rimmed baking sheet. Spread mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet and toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread the mixture evenly on baking sheet. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast tofu and mushrooms until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 22-25 minutes. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Let everything cool. Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled tofu, mushrooms, bean-beet mixture, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, tamari or soy sauce, green onions, garlic, paprika, and salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in rice to achieve a small chunky texture (do not overprocess to a smooth mixture). Scrape processed mixture into a bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes. Divide the chilled mixture into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until ready to grill or freeze the burger patties for later use. Heat a grill over medium heat. Cook burgers until they are seared on both sides and firm when you press on them, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, you can cook these in a skillet over medium heat.