So you’ve been on a health kick recently. You’re swapping out starchy potatoes for vitamin A rich sweet potatoes. You’re opting for the side salad instead of the fries. And you’re especially proud of yourself for swapping out your regular beef patty with a vegetarian or vegan version. Then you go to the frozen section of your local grocery store in search of said veggie patties. You find them and your smug ass grabs one of those boxes like you’re changing the world one veggie burger at a time (and improving your health, to boot). But then you look at the ingredients list:

“WATER, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO (COLOR), VITAMIN A PALMITATE), WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF METHYLCELLULOSE, SOY PROTEIN, DRIED ONIONS, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, CHEESE POWDER (CHEDDAR CHEESE [MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], CREAM, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID), NATURAL FLAVOR (NON-MEAT), HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, SESAME OIL, SPICES AND HERBS, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DRIED GARLIC, MANNITOL, YEAST EXTRACT, BROWNED IN CORN OIL.”

And you’re like:

Guys, don’t get mad. Put that shit down and Make. Yo. Self. These. Burgers.

They’re packed full of vitamins and fiber. They’re delicious. And they’re easy to make. I promise.

Pro tip: sweet potatoes are super easy to use. Ready? For this recipe, pierce two raw medium-sized sweet potatoes with a fork or knife a few times then put them on a microwave safe dish. You don’t have to cover them unless you really want to. Then zap them in the microwave for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you can easily pierce them to the center with a knife. Let them cool on the plate until you can handle them without burning your hands, dummy. Then scoop the orange flesh into a bowl and mash it up real good for this recipe.

Vegan Sweet Potato and White Bean Burger Patties

Makes four 6oz patties or six 4oz patties

Ingredients

• 1 c. mashed sweet potatoes
• One 15oz can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (until it’s no longer foaming)
• 1/3 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed (until it’s no longer foaming)
• 2/3 c. water
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 tsp, minced)
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 chili powder
• 1 c. all-purpose flour with salt and pepper to dredge patties (optional)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil or other neutral oil, for cooking
• burger accoutrements (buns, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, spicy mayo, etc.)

In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients (except the flour and burger accoutrements) together just a couple of times for a couple of seconds. You do NOT want a hummus-like paste. You want to see whole beans in there. Take the mush out of the food processor and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Alternatively, you could put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher (again, making sure it’s not too smooth).  Just make sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide the mixture evenly into 4 or 6 balls and form those balls into patties. I actually measured mine out into 4, six-ounce patties using an electronic scale. If you don’t have one, you should get one.

Now get ready to cook these bad boys! WARNING: Do not cook these on a grill or BBQ. They will not hold their shape. You need to cook these on a skillet with oil. Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet that holds one to two patties at a time on medium-high heat.

To help with browning, I like to lightly dredge the patties directly in seasoned flour. This is optional. They’ll still brown if you don’t do this, but it won’t brown as much.

Cook the patties on each side for about 5 minutes, or until they look light golden brown. Remove from heat and place directly on your prepared burger buns. If you’re not ready to put them on the buns just yet, place the cooked patties on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in a warm oven (175F) while you get your burger accoutrements set up.

Enjoy these burgers and please let me know if you have any suggestions by giving me a comment below!