Butternut Black Bean Burgers

When I first saw this recipe I thought it was a fun idea to mix butternut squash into a black bean burger. I love the convenience of store-bought veggie burgers, but I don't love all of the sodium that is in them. Preparing the burgers at home helps to cut back on some of that over seasoning.

Recipe slightly adapted from Peas and Crayons.

Ingredients:

-1 egg

-1 can black beans, mashed  

-1 cup pureed butternut squash

-1/3 cup minced celery

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-3/4 teaspoon salt-free Italian seasoning blend

-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

-4 burger buns
-4 slices asiago cheese

-Spinach

-Mayo mixed with sriracha

In a large bowl add the mashed black beans, butternut squash, celery, all of the seasoning and oats. Mix together so that the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Next add the egg and fully incorporate it into the mixture.

Form the veggie mixture into four balls and then smoosh to create firm burger discs.

Heat one to two tablespoons of oil in a skillet and add the burgers to the pan. Cook each for a few minutes on both sides until a golden crust forms on the outside of each burger patty. 

Slather each bun with sriracha mayo, add spinach, asiago cheese and your butternut burgers will be complete.

These burgers were so good. The butternut squash adds a subtle hint of sweetness to the burger which pairs nicely with the heat from the sriracha mayo. I prefer to add spinach to my burgers, but you could also add lettuce -- either way you'll get a nice pop of green color and a fresh, crisp bite on the burger.