BBQ Bacon Cheddar Bean Burgers

I'm on a bean burger kick.  Who knew something healthy could be so flavorful and delicious?  Plus, I feel like they are guilt-free...even if you load them with things like cheddar cheese and bacon...oh yeah, I did that.  Whoops.  

I recommend using a handy dandy food processor like this one.  Oh man, this thing is my best friend.  It processes like a dream...

    

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Bean Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:  

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 teaspoon olive oil + 1/2 tablespoon

1/2 cup broccoli

1 medium-sized peeled carrot, chopped

2 small sweet red peppers

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese + more for topping

2 tablespoons barbeque sauce + more for topping

1 teaspoon honey

2 1/2-3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

4-5 bacon strips, fully cooked

Lettuce (for topping, if desired)

4 burger buns

Directions: 

Heat a small skillet over low heat and add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Throw in onions with a pinch of salt, stir to coat, then let cook and caramelize for 5-6 minutes. This should happen fairly quickly since they are chopped small. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, add broccoli and carrot, pulsing until chopped very finely. Add chickpeas, sauce, honey, flour, cheese, onions, peppers, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Process and pulse until completely combined but not too much!!  Believe me, if you process too much it will become a puree that will turn to mush when you try to make the burgers. Carefully remove from processor bowl and form into 4 burgers. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up the burgers (this will make them easier to flip while cooking and help them stick together). 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Once hot, add burgers to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outsides, about 5-6 minutes. Be gentle when flipping and removing burgers so they don’t crack or fall apart. Serve on toasted buns with additional cheddar, bacon, onion, lettuce, and sauce.

**Note: These are not going to taste like a normal burger (duh…they are made of beans not beef).  What I mean is…the texture is very smooth and soft (especially if you accidentally over process the ingredients like I did).  The flavor is delicious…but I ended up preferring to eat the bean burger patties without the bun because it was just too much mush in-between the two pieces of bread.  Overall, I would still make these again and would recommend trying them – they are healthy and delicious!

Recipe adapted from how sweet it is