Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

I created this sweet potato black bean burgers recipe out of necessity. I was low on groceries and time, so I figured out a way to use what I had to make dinner. I had some leftover black beans and burger buns, so naturally, I thought to make black bean burgers. But I didn’t have enough black beans to make a full serving, and going to the store wasn’t an option right then, so I improvised.
I thought I could use the end of a can of corn I had opened the day before, and I found a sweet potato in my pantry. I figured baking and mashing it up would give me a more of the consistency I needed to make the burger patties, and it turned out I was right. I also threw in an onion for good measure. For me, onions make everything better.
What started as a hodge podge meal turned into what my boyfriend called “probably the best thing” I had ever served him (which is kind of a big deal — I’ve made hundreds of meals for us!).
I started by coarsely mashing the black beans, enough that they were starting to form a sort of paste, but there were still plenty of whole beans throughout.

Then I added the sweet potato. I had “baked” it by microwaving it for about five minutes until it was fork tender, then I scooped the soft insides out of its skin and into the black beans. I tossed in the corn and onions and mashed everything together.

Then I added the bread crumbs and egg.

I mixed it all together again, and then formed patties, using a 1⁄2 cup measuring cup to guide the size.

I scooped the mix straight from the bowl into the pan and then formed patties using a fork. More bread crumbs might help, but these are a little too moist to effectively form patties by hand. (For that same reason, I would not recommend making these on a grill unless you make them more firm.)

I let them cook until browned on both sides, then added some yummy gouda cheese and assembled.

They go well with lots of different kinds of toppings. My boyfriend usually uses ketchup and pickles. I’ve added avocado, tomato, mustard, mayonnaise, more onion, hot sauce or whatever else I feel like in the moment. The sweetness of the potato paired with the salty black beans and bread crumbs makes a good flavor foundation that can support just about anything else you put on top.