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Smoky Pinto Burgers

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

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Ingredients

  • 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 3 1/2 cups cooked or canned pinto beans (two 15-ounce cans)
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • Good-quality vegetable oil for frying
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 1 small red onion
  • Several sprigs fresh cilantro
  • 2 limes
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise

Instructions

  1. Put 2 chipotle chiles and some adobo from the can in a large flat-bottom bowl; mash with a fork until relatively smooth.
    Trim and peel the carrot; grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Add it to the bowl.
    Peel and mince 1 clove garlic; add it to the bowl.
    If you’re using canned beans, rinse and drain them. Add the pinto beans to the bowl.
  2. Measure 1/2 cup oats. Grab about half and crumble them between your hands over the bowl; repeat with the remaining oats. Add 1/4 cup coconut oil, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the bowl.
  3. Use a potato masher or fork to mash and stir the ingredients in the bowl until combined and the mixture holds together when you pinch some between your fingers.
  4. Put a thin film of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 6 inches from the heat.
  5. Shape the bean mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
  6. When the oil is hot, cook the burgers, turning once, until crisp on both sides and firm at the center, 4 or 5 minutes per side, adding more vegetable oil if the pan is dry.
  7. Split the buns in half, brush with a little vegetable oil, and broil until lightly toasted, 2 or 3 minutes.
  8. Trim, peel, halve, and thinly slice the onion.
    Trim the toughest stems from several cilantro sprigs.
    Cut the limes into wedges.
  9. When the buns are toasted, remove them from the broiler. Spread 1/3 cup mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns. Add the onion, cilantro, and burgers. Close the sandwiches and serve with lime wedges.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

White Bean and Zucchini Burgers Substitute 1 small zucchini for the carrot, white beans for the pintos, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest for the chipotles, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or the ground cumin, and basil for the cilantro. After you grate the zucchini, put it in a clean kitchen towel and wring it dry before proceeding.

BBQ Black-Eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Burgers Replace the carrot with 1/2 small sweet potato, the pinto beans with black-eyed peas, and the chipotles with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce.

Curried Chickpea Burgers Omit the ground cumin. Instead of the chipotles, mash 2 tablespoons curry powder with 1 chopped scallion in the large bowl. Substitute chickpeas for the pinto beans. Everything else stays the same.