Smoky Hickory Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers Take 2

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We love our burgers around here. I make this recipe so often, especially during the summer. We love these burgers with fried or baked potatoes and corn on the cob. For a lighter meal, they are also great with a salad or raw vegetables.

A lot of people who have tried this recipe have loved it. Others have commented that the burgers are a bit too soft for their liking, but have still enjoyed the flavor. I realize that I can’t please everybody and that different people have different tastes, still I decided that this burger recipe should be as awesome as possible so I set to work trying to make these burgers more hearty and less soft, while keeping the flavor alive.

Yesterday I was successful! The burger is still just as delicious, while being a little more burger-like. It is still a bean burger, so it will never be just like meat and it is not meant to. It is my favorite recipe and one my man can’t get enough of. These are also loaded with protein! More than a wimpy, fatty hamburger. Made with whole wheat pasta, black beans, quinoa and whole wheat bread crumbs, they are a near super food!

Here is the updated recipe in its glory.

Smoky Hickory Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers

Makes 6 Burgers

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat macaroni (uncooked)
  • 1 (540 ml) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2/3 cup hickory BBQ sauce (I use Bull’s Eye)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
  • canola or sunflower oil for frying

Directions

Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes. At the same time, bring a separate pot of water to boil and add the macaroni. Boil the macaroni 18-20 minutes until soft and a little overdone. Both the macaroni and the quinoa should be done about the same time. Once the quinoa has cooked, remove it from the heat and set it aside. Drain the macaroni and place it in a food processor. Process until smooth and no noodles remain intact. Add the black beans, BBQ sauce, liquid smoke and garlic and process again until combined and smooth. Pour the quinoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the macaroni/bean mixture and the breadcrumbs and mix until combined. At this point your burgers are ready to go!

Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of canola oil on medium-high heat. Fry each burger 3-5 minutes on each side, until the outside is browned and crispy. Serve on a whole wheat bun with your favorite toppings. Store any remaining burger mixture in the fridge. Keeps for 3-5 days.

It has been raining everyday here since Friday. I just went and checked the weather and complained to Craig, “It’s going to be rainy Monday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday!” I hear Autumn exclaim from the kitchen, “Yes! It’s not raining on Tuesday!”

Talk about looking on the sunny side! 🙂

38 thoughts on “Smoky Hickory Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers Take 2”

  1. I´m just getting into the whole burger-making business. I didnt really eat or make them before I was vegan so I´m a newbie to this. But it sounds easy^^ thanks for the recipe, I really enjoy your blog.

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  4. Yum!! Gotta try this. I loooove quinoa. Same weather here, are you in Saskatchwan? We are originally from Ontario, and heard sask was the sunniest province, but we are not seeing that at all lately grrrr..

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  5. Update: I made these this evening, and they were really good! Nice and filling, you definitely know you ate something when you’re done 🙂

    So is there a giant cloud hanging over Canada? How can all of us be having the same weather? We’re way over here in BC!

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    • I HATE the rain! It rained/thunder stormed on and off all day today! Tried to go out for a walk with the girls twice only to get rained on twice, so instead I made and ate a ton of cookies! 🙂 Hope the rain goes away soon.

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    • Thanks! The BBQ sauce is pretty crucial for the flavor, especially Hickory flavored BBQ sauce, which is what I use in this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you if you do try it! 🙂

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  12. I made these last night and my pickiest teenager ate 2 of them! My husband and boys love the smokey flavor. I only used a smokey bbq sauce and left out the smoke flavoring because I am not a fan. These look more like the “real thing” which made it pleasing to the eye for my guys.
    I love your recipes because you use real food. We can still eat many of our favorite foods….vegan style!

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  15. Hi Tiffany! I made these burgers last night. All 4 of my boy’s loved it, that is including my husband. I love when I work so hard making a meal, and they like it. Makes me soooo happy! 🙂 I did not grill them though. As I was watching them eat them. I said “Tiffany is a genius” Thanks again for another kid friendly healthy meal. Hope you are enjoying your break.

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    • Thanks for coming back to report! I am very happy to hear that! 🙂 We love them so much. I just made a double batch yesterday so that we have enough to last for at least a couple of days. Healthy and delicious!

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    • Thanks! I have never tried freezing them (because we all eat them up so fast or I use the leftovers to make Taco Salad), but I am pretty sure that you could since all of the ingredients would seem to freeze well.

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  19. It is very rare that I make something according to the recipe; I usually add my own ideas or change it up a lot. This recipe was an exception, I honestly thought it was perfect! The bean mixture by its self was actually really great with a blue corn chip!! I used a flat pita bread and served it with potatoes and corn on the cob. I only made three patties and could probably make about 6 more with the remaining mix. I love love love this! I have picked 4 other recipes from your blog for this week. Definitely off to a good start 🙂 Thank you!

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    • Thanks for commenting Mya! 🙂 I made these yesterday for the family actually and my littlest loved eating it on a spoon before adding the quinoa! It sounds great with chips! Glad that you enjoyed it so much.

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  20. My husband and I made these and absolutely loved them! We’ll definitely be making more recipes from your site soon. Thank you for helping make our transition into a vegan diet a delicious one!

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  23. Another success with your recipes! We had these tonight, hubby said they were delicious and our pickiest eater loved them too! I was wondering how the hickory bbq sauce affects the taste when using this mix in your Tasty Taco Salad recipe…can you still taste it after transforming it into the taco salad?

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  24. Oh my gosh! Your blog is everything I’ve ever searched for! I am so thankful that I stumbled across it looking for some vegan lunch ideas for my toddler! I made a whole week’s worth of your recipes and LOVED every single one!

    These burgers were amazing! They held together very nicely, which has always been a problem for me in the past! I used a mustard-like BBQ sauce because that’s what I had on hand and ahhhhh pure deliciousness! I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to make sure each burger had the same amount of “meat” and I got 12 burgers out of it! Needless to say, I only had four left over to freeze! My toddler is a good eater, but never seems to eat my black bean burgers, but these were burgers that he did not refuse!

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