I’m not a vegetarian and neither is my husband but I try to incorporate a decent amount of vegetarian evenings into our weekly routine. Doing so ensures that we aren’t eating too much red meat, gives us a ton of variety in our diet, and is generally super easy on our wallets. These Southwestern Pinto Burgers from Cooking Light are one of our favorite meat-free recipes. They are delicious and fairly simple to prepare – perfect for a weeknight dinner. I generally make the full recipe which yields 4 patties – we have two for dinner and both Andy and I eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. The burgers are fantastic on a bun, over some greens, or wrapped up in a tortilla.

Original Image From Cooking Light

Southwestern Pinto Bean Burgers

Burgers:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained or 1 cup of frozen corn (that for a few minutes)

Top Burgers with either Chipotle Mayo or Green Chile Mayo – Chipotle is a little spicier but the green chile is also delicious.

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Green Chile Mayo

• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 T canned chopped green chiles

To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork or potato masher. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

To prepare  mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and peppers in a small bowl (or directly in the gladware that you intend to store it in); set aside.

Heat 1T canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

Nutritional Information