Butternut Squash, Black Bean, Quinoa Veggie Burgers
By Amanda Livesay of Fake Ginger
Burger season has arrived! I’m so excited for burgers and cold salads and all the foods that come along with summer.
These Butternut Squash, Black Bean, and Quinoa Veggie Burgers are my new favorite veggie burgers and I will be making them all summer for sure. They are one of those hearty veggie burgers than anyone would enjoy.
They have so much texture from the quinoa, black beans, and butternut squash and so much flavor from all the herbs and spices! I like to serve these with a spicy guacamole and crisp lettuce to make them even better.
These burgers are a lot easier than you would expect veggie burgers to be.
Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan; lower to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed
Cook the butternut squash. I recommend using a steam-in-the-bag frozen butternut squash because that makes these burgers SO easy. Those steam in minutes! You can also use a steamer, Instant Pot, or even roast your butternut squash if you prefer
Add cooked butternut squash and black beans to a large mixing bowl and use a fork to mash them together until it’s mostly mashed but you can still distinguish what’s a bean and what’s squash - you don’t want completely mushy burgers
To the bean mixture, add cooked quinoa, ground flax seed, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper
Divide mixture into 4 and shape into burgers; place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet
Bake at 375F for 10 minutes per side
You can also grill these by placing a piece of greased aluminum foil on a grill heated to medium-high heat and cooking the burgers about 8 minutes per side
If you feel like you won’t eat all 4 of these, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Either freeze them baked or unbaked - just put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer for an hour or 2. Once the burgers are frozen, you can put them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper in between them so they’re easy to pull apart.
When you are ready to bake, you can bake them from frozen. Just bake them for 15 minutes per side instead of 10.
Butternut Squash, Black Bean, Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
½ cup dry quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
1 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 ½ cups butternut squash, roasted or steamed (I buy the steam in the bag kind so it’s super easy)
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 toasted burger buns, for serving
Lettuce, for serving
Prepared guacamole, for serving
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine black beans and cooked squash. Mash with a fork until it’s mostly mashed but still a little bit chunky.
Stir in the cooked quinoa, flax seeds, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Taste to check seasonings and adjust accordingly.
Divide mixture into 4 and shape into burgers. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, carefully flip the burgers, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve on toasted buns with lettuce and guacamole.
To cook on a grill: heat grill over medium-high heat and lay aluminum foil on the grill. Spray the foil with oil to prevent sticking. Grill the burgers on the aluminum foil for about 8 minutes per side.
