I love Japanese sweet potatoes. I eat them every day. Plain. Just. Like. That!

But then I had to come to my senses and realize that not everyone wants to eat quite this simple.  I also like beans.  Ok,  beans + sweet potatoes = good burgers = yummy.

What follows is a very easy, delicious recipe for burgers that you can put together very quickly with  just a few ingredients {of course, I am assuming that you ALWAYS have a baked Japanese sweet potato on hand :-)}  Enjoy!

 

Makes 6-8 burgers

Prep Time: 20 minutes   Cook Time: 23 minutes (need a baked sweet potato)

Ingredients:

2 15-oz cans pinto beans, no-salt-added, drained and rinsed

½ cup Japanese sweet potatoes, mashed

½ cup of rolled oats

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste (optional)

½ tsp. granulated garlic powder

½ Tbsp. mustard (your choice)

2 Tbsp. salsa (your choice)

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat
• Add beans to a large bowl and mash them, using a potato masher, back of a spoon or your hands. (I usually put on a pair of latex-free gloves). I like to have a little coarser texture.
• Add mashed sweet potatoes and incorporate well into beans
• Add remaining ingredients. Make sure spices, seasonings and parsley are mixed in well. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Form 6 to 8 balls. Place them onto  the baking sheet and gently press down with your hand from the center to form a patty.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then flip over and bake for another 6-8 minutes.

Notes:

If you want a light crust, sauté these burgers in a dry non-stick pan.

Japanese sweet potatoes are firmer and a bit starchier than the orange ones, which tend have a little bit more moisture content. If you cannot find Japanese ones, you could use Hannah ones or you may have to adjust the amount of oatmeal to take up some of the extra moisture.

My favorite salsa is a Black Bean & Corn Salsa, that has a bit of kick to it.