Easy homemade veggie burgers

I made these delicious veggie burgers for the first time the other day, and they were a hit!

I'd never made them before because they seem so messy to make, and like a lot of work.... But these were seriously a cinch! So I had to share.

They'd probably look better with black beans, but all I had were red kidney beans (no wonder, because I never eat them)....

Anyway, here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

1 15-oz can beans/1.5 cups cooked beans (black beans, pinto, red kidney)
1/2 cup salsa
1 oz sliced onion (or more, to taste)
1.5 cups bread crumbs (I use spelt or wholest grain possible)
1 tsp cumin
pepper (to taste)

Note: You can probably sneak some spinach, carrot or beets in there too to amp up the nutritional value.

Instructions:

1. Pour the beans and the salsa into your food processor, and blend until smooth.
2. Add in the onions, cumin, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, pepper, and blend.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
4. Get (just a little) messy, and use your hands to make 8 nice-sized patties. As you form them, gently press both sides of the burgers in the remaining bread crumbs, and place them on a pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Let them set in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes while you prepare other parts of your meal (or clean up or make the kids' lunches!).
6. Bake in preheated oven at around 350ºF for around 20-25 minutes (I'm not really sure about the timing — I just waited 'til they browned a little bit), turning once.

Stick them in a fresh, lightly-toasted, whole-grain bun or bagel, and top 'em up. Oh! And they freeze really well, too...! Just stick one in the toaster, flipping once, and it's ready to munch.

Bon appetit!