Spicy Vegetable & Bean Burgers

I've been trying to perfect a spicy bean burger recipe for some time and this is the best version I've made so far, in both flavour and texture. The mixture holds together well without the need for egg, so it's vegan too. My version is slightly chunky, but you could blend the mixture briefly, if you want to hide the vegetable pieces from fussy children!

• 1 small tin/½ big tin refried beans - approx 8 oz/200g
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 bell pepper, finely diced
• around ¼ of a butternut squash or 1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
• 1-2 tsp green harissa paste or chilli sauce, optional
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves (I used the frozen type)
• 2 slices of stale bread, made into breadcrumbs

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4,
Put all of the chopped vegetables in a baking dish and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for around 15-20 minutes turning occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and browned slightly.
Mix in all of the remaining ingredients (except the breadcrumbs). 
Finally mix in enough breadcrumbs to form a firm, but not dry, mixture.

Form the mixture into 4 large burgers, using your hands or a burger press, and chill for at least half an hour to firm up. Fry the burgers in a further 1-2 tbsp olive oil for 6-8 minutes on each side.

Top with salsa, guacamole or ketchup and serve in a bread roll or with chips/sweet potato wedges.

Leftover tip: Make this recipe using any combination of left over boiled or roasted vegetables, to make it even more economical.

I'm linking this post up to the This month's Extra Veg Challenge over at A Mummy Too, created by Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy. 

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