I like having matzo meal in the house for making chremslach, which are categorically better than regular pancakes. Since I’ve had matzo meal around, I started wondering what else I could use it in. That’s when I came up with the Matzo Kasha Black Bean Burger.
Matzo meal can basically play the role of breadcrumbs in a recipe. Turns out, bread crumbs are in a lot of recipes for vegetarian burger patties. So I’m not doing anything complicated here. I’m just taking a veggie burger recipe and subbing in matzo meal for breadcrumbs.
As I was making these matzo patties for the first time, I realized that it’s just a mix of the veggies and flavors you like. Why not put in some kasha? It looked like it’d fit in fine. Plus kasha is healthy. Win-win!
The kasha in this recipe can either be made just like you would rice in a simmering pot of water or veggie broth, letting the grains absorb everything. In some recipes for kasha varnishkes, you’ll see instructions for baking them to give them a bit of crispiness. I’m lazy in making my kasha and just go the water route, which gives it a softer, rice-like texture. But if you want something a bit crunchier in your burger, that’d be a way to go.
Matzo Kasha Black Bean Burger
Ingredients
- 2 14 ounce cans Black Beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pepper (about half of a pepper)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 1/4 cup kasha
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp horseradish sauce optional
- 2 tbsp BBQ sauce optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Rinse out your black beans in a strainer and spread them out onto a baking sheet. Bake them for about 5-10 minutes or until they're starting to get dried out.
- While that's going on, put your skillet over medium heat with your olive oil. Sautée the onions, pepper, and garlic until they're soft. That'll take around five minutes or so.
- Use your sautéing time to start cooking your kasha. First, fill a small saucepan with 3/4 cup water over high heat until boiling.
- While the water is heating up, mix 1/4 cup of kasha with one egg in a small bowl with a dash of salt and black pepper. Stir with a fork until the kasha is covered.
- When the water is boiling, pour in the kasha and turn down the heat to low so it simmers. Keep an eye on it, mixing the kasha occasionally, making sure it doesn't burn.
- From there, you can use a food processor or put everything in a large bowl with the other ingredients. That's your matzo meal, eggs, feta cheese, horseradish (optional), BBQ sauce (optional), kasha, and spices. Mix everything together. Then, add the black beans and start mashing them. Leave some chunks of black beans un-smashed.
- Form your mix into patties using about 1/3 cup of mixture for each one.
- Places the patties on parchment paper and bake them at 375°F (190°C). After 10 minutes, flip them over. They can be done after 20 total minutes or you can throw them back onto the skillet for a couple of minutes each side over medium heat.
