So all day Wednesday I could not wait to come home and eat dinner. I had been craving Turkey Spinach Feta burgers for the longest time! And since I bought 5 pounds of spinach the other day I knew it was a great way to use up the mound of greens in my fridge.
When I got home I changed so fast and ran into the kitchen. It didn’t help either that I was starving AND had a killer workout over lunch today.
I got to chopping, dicing, mincing and sauteing … my kitchen was smelling magical!
That is…
…until I opened the package of ground turkey!
<insert biggest Mr. YUCK face ever combined with the ‘I’m gonna hurl’ surprise eyes!>
I’ll spare you any further details of exactly how rancid this was but let’s just say it needed put in a plastic bag, locked in a metal box, buried in a hole 6 feet under, covered by cement and then relocating me to the other side of the country.
it was THAT bad!
*shudder*
As I stood there in grossed-out-ness, I started smelling my onions. Crap! Now what? I had no other meat and everything else prepped for the turkey burgers. I went over to my pantry and stood there (okay I turned the onions to low while I stood in front of my pantry)….
…and stood there
…and stood there hoping some magical package of fresh ground turkey would appear but it didn’t.
What did appear (but not magically… trust me, if there something magical coming out of my pantry it’s Ina Garten, Sarabeth Levine and endless supply of money so I could cook and bake all day with my two idols).. sorry, I got sidetracked. 🙂 What did appear were 2 cans of beans. Hmmm.. beans are meaty. Beans are packed with protein. It could work.
Well people let me tell you what… Not only did it work but it worked AMAZINGLY FANTASTICALLY AWESOME! Yes.. go with that verbiage!
So all you meat lovers, trust me on this. It is not your typical cardboard veggie burger that is flavorless and flat-out gross. This thing was so full of flavor and juiciness. I mean seriously as I’m typing this I’m honestly thinking about going and having another piece! It’s hearty like a meat burger and super high in protein and packed with antioxidants.
I mean seriously.. LOOK AT THIS!
Double Bean Spinach Feta Burgers
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Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 can white beans, rinsed
- 1/4 cup onions, chopped small
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 Tbl olive oil and enough for burger sautéing
- 2 Tbl red peppers, minced
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt butter and 1 tbl olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add in the spinach and cover. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Take 1 1/2 cups of each type of beans and mash in a large bowl. Add in the remaining whole beans, red peppers, seasoning, egg, bread crumbs, feta and cooled onion & spinach mixture.
- Mix until combined. *Note – it will be sticky so if you want, lightly wet your hands with water as you mix. Just be sure not to add water to the mixture. Form into 6-8 patties, depending on how big you want them. Add enough olive oil to the bottom of the pan with the heat set to medium high.
- When the oil is hot enough, add the patties in leaving a 1” space between them. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bottom has a nice golden brown crispy crust. Flip and cook for 4-5 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown crispy crust. Set your oven to 375. Once patties are made, lightly coat them with olive oil.
- Put them on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and continue baking for another 15 or until they are golden brown and crispy.
This is how I ate mine… I just put on more spinach, a hearty grain kaiser roll and Tuscan Herb Hummus (recipe in the works).
I’m wondering if it is a matter of either/or when it comes to cooking them. Pan fry OR oven or are both steps part of the process?
Hi Laurie!
If they are thick, go with the pan fry and the oven. If they are say 1/4 pounder size, the pan fry is sufficient. The reason I also mentioned putting them in the oven is to ensure that they are ‘cooked’ all the way through since there is egg. You could go with a pan fry if you lower the heat after you brown each side.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This was so good! I did make some changes – I added a minced garlic clove with the onion, I substituted sun-dried tomato for the red pepper and I used Panko for the bread crumbs. I also found it unnecessary to bake it after frying – it dried it out.
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These are really good! They don’t fall apart. The first time I made them my meat-loving son took a bite and asked me to send him the recipe!
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Yeah!!! That’s awesome to hear! Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I just popped these in the oven but wondering if it was a matter of either/or when it comes to cooking them. Pan OR oven or are both steps part of the process?
Thank you for sharing your recipes,
without a doubt your veggie burgers are the best I’ve ever had
I made the portabella ones last week and the 2 bean spinach feta today
Both are way up there wow!
Yeah!!! I’m so happy you loved them! Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes’
These are delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe! Did you post a recipe for your Tuscan Hummus? Looks good.
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I made these tonight and they were very good! They taste nothing like a boxed veggie burger. I will definitely be adding them into my rotation. My vegetarian son will be very happy when he comes home from work! Next time I will add just a bit more bread crumbs, as a couple fell apart. Very tasty, though.
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Thank you so much Mary! I’m so happy that you loved these as much as I do!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Update…. These are amazing!! Will make them every time. Yum!
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Hi!
I’ve made black bean burgers before and did not have good luck at all.. They broke apart and became just mash 🙁 – do you suggest cooling them in the refrigerator or freezer before pan frying them? Or are these pretty thick and held together well?
Also, could the leftovers be frozen for future dinners?
Thanks!
Hi Jillian!
Okay so when you make these you mash part of the beans, plus you add egg, feta and some breadcrumbs; those will all act as a binder. When you go to form these the secret it to making sure your hands are wet as the mixture will be tacky/sticky. If it falls apart (which it shouldn’t) add a little more breadcrumbs). When you form the patties you will make them compact like you would a burger. You want to make sure the bottom of your pan is covered in oil. Don’t force flip them and only flip once.
As for the thickness it’s totally up to you how thick you want. I made these about a 1/2″ thick or perhaps a tad thicker. For freezing them yes, they’ve frozen great. I just either microwave them (they won’t be crispy) if I can’t wait or I will just pop them in a pan and heat up in the pan.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Awesome, thanks! Can’t wait to make them tonight. My boyfriend is a huge black bean burger guy, gonna earn some brownie points with this one!
I tried these last night with a few changes for our tastes, and what we had on hand, and they were MARVELOUS!!! Kudos to you for coming up with this fabulous recipe!!! I used pinto beans instead of white, and 2 T chopped tomatoes for the peppers (had no peppers!). Also, since we’re gluten free, I used cornmeal instead of bread crumbs, and for extra crunch, I breaded them before frying in cornmeal!! I got so excited about them after frying them that I didn’t read that you said to bake them afterwards (so I didn’t) but they were GREAT! Even my meat-loving husband liked them enough to fight me for the last one! My favorite thing about this recipe is how forgiving it is, as certain produce isn’t always available year round, but we always want to eat healthy! Thanks again!!!
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Thank you so much Becky! I love your addition of Corn Meal! That’s awesome! I’ll definitely have to try that! Thanks a bunch!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Making these tonight and can’t wait to taste them! I am praying I can serve it to my son who hates beans but we will see. haha! LOTS of ketchup!
HAHAHA Ketchup! That’s hysterical! If he’s a cheese kid, it’s awesome with melted cheese! Let me know what he thinks!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I know this is an old post, but I’m making these tonight, switching the steak seasoning for Greek, and serving with roasted peppers and tzatziki on wheat buns. I went to Pinterest in search of something to put my favorite sauce on, and this is perfect. Thanks!
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It’s never too late to comment Katie! Thank you so much for the comments! Oh love your usage of tzatziki too! I’ll have to try that!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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I made these and they were delicious! I am vegan so I made some modifications and still delicious! Just if anyone is interested. .. I omitted the eggs and cheese. I added 2 flax eggs. I like spice so I added some chipolte. I am going to keep this recipe in the routine. Thanks for the great recipe!!! Michelle
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OMG I’m addicted to chipotle right now Michelle so I am putting it in EVERYTHING! Try my Chunky Portabella Mushroom Burgers and add in chipotle to that. OH DEAR LORD!
Thank you so much for the tip about subbing out the eggs and cheese for 2 Flax Eggs! I really appreciate it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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I’m willing to try this recipe but I have to problems and I wonder if you can help me out? first of all I can’t stand white beans and I’m allergic to chick peas. so I’m hoping that you had tried the black bean variety only and can give me measurements. the other problem I have is I don’t digest Peppers well but jalapenos. can I use them instead of red peppers? thanks much.
Good Morning Angelica!
Oh yeah you can most certainly use all black beans. You can even use red kidney beans as well if you want. It’s the same amount can size (I believe the cans are 16 ounces).
I think the jalapeno would be great but only just a little bit. See red peppers in these type of burgers serve a dual purpose – flavor AND moisture. Instead of all jalapenos I would go with maybe chopped zucchini or squash. They will give you that added moisture your burger needs.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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these are fantastic! I made these other day and wow are they good! I’ve tried other recipes for bean burgers but they always are so dry. This was so juicy and moist. Can you grill these?
Best bean burger recipe out there!!!
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I’m thrilled to hear that you loved these Austin! Not bad for thinking on my feet real fast, huh? I absolutely LOVE these so much… I’m thinking honestly that I love them more than real beef burgers!
I haven’t tried grilling them but I suspect you could *IF* you coated them well with oil and grilled them on a close-squared grate instead of the typical BBQ grates.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I am on the Daniel fast, can I use oats instead of bread crumbs? There is no bread on the diet.. The black bean burgers from morning star are loaded with junk!!!! Thanks for the recipe
Hi Suzanne!
Yep you can totally use ground oats in lieu of bread crumbs. I do that often actually. It’s a great way to get more oats into your diet!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I have to tell you just how AMAZING these were! I made these last night and we loved them so much! I didn’t tell my boyfriend what they were. He took the first 2 bites, stopped and said “These taste different but man are they good!” and proceeded to eat 2 of them! When he was all done I told him what they were and of course he didn’t believe me. So I had to show him your site and he was in shock! He’s a huge meat eater and to get him to eat this was huge for me! He asked me last night, when I was packing our lunches if I’d pack him more of them.
And as I showed him your site he said “ohhh make that.. and that and THAT!” I think you have a new follower with him 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE your site!
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Hi Summer!
HAHA Don’t you love trickery?! So happy that he loved them as much as you did! My next venture with this is to make it all black bean and make it spicy with an avocado cream sauce to cool it down! Tell your boyfriend to stay tuned 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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