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Refried Black Bean Burgers

A vegetarian burger made from mashed black beans, egg, breadcrumbs, and sautéed vegetables, pan‑fried to a golden brown.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Refried Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bean mix

  1. Place the beans with their juices in a large bowl.

  2. Mash with a fork or potato masher until at least half the beans are well mashed (do not mash completely, nor use a food processor).

  3. Add the egg, bread crumbs, flax or wheat germ, seasonings and vinegar and mix well.

  4. Place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to chill and set up.

Make the vegetable sauté

  1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan.

  2. Add the finely chopped onion and bell peppers and sauté, stirring frequently, until they start to brown.

  3. If using jalapeno or other hot pepper, add it now and sauté another minute.

  4. Add the white wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced to nothing.

  5. Add the sautéed veggies to the seasoned black bean mix, stir to combine, and chill another ten to fifteen minutes.

Shape and cook

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray well with cooking spray.

  2. Take a spoonful of bean mix about the size of a golf ball and drop into the corn meal, then turn gently to coat and press to flatten slightly.

  3. Turn over and flatten some more, then pick it out of the corn meal and finish flattening to hamburger shape.

  4. Place in skillet and cook until burgers are starting to set.

  5. Spray tops with cooking spray and flip over, then cook until they start to brown.

  6. Spray tops lightly and turn again and cook until that side starts to brown.

Serve

  1. Serve promptly while hot, topped with salsa (tomato or avocado), chili sauce or sour cream.

  2. Or put in a burger bun with non-fat cheese, a fat slice of tomato and wad of lettuce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

656Calories
25 gProtein
27 gFat
78 gCarbs

Counts 15 of 16 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Black Bean1/2 cup canned (120g) drained114
Bread1 slice (30g) white79
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Flax Seed1 tbsp (10g) ground55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Wheatnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Beans + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,188 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Oregano + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,449 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Black beans
Form the main body of the patty; mashing half of them binds the mix while leaving texture.
Egg
Binds the mixture so the patties hold their shape when cooked.
Bread crumbs
Absorb moisture and help the mix set firm enough to shape.
Onion
Adds moisture and sweetness, and browning softens its sharp bite.
Green and red bell peppers
Add moisture, mild sweetness and aroma once sautéed until they brown.
Flax seed or wheat germ
Adds body and helps bind the mixture together.

The step that matters

Sautéing the vegetables until they start to brown and reducing the wine fully. Cooking off the wine and moisture from the onion and peppers keeps the bean mix from becoming soggy, so the patties can set and hold their shape when cooked.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, egg, bread, wheat, oregano, cumin, pepper):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, egg, bread, wheat, oregano, cumin, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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