White bean burgers (Secret Recipe Club)

These simple, healthy white bean burgers with a yogurt feta sauce are super flavorful and won't fall apart like many veggie burgers.

Note: Recipe and photos updated April 2016.

I made this recipe in 2013 as part of the Secret Recipe Club (SRC).

Here's how the SRC works: each month I am assigned another member's blog (a different one each month). I then pick any recipe from that blogger's site, make it and write about it here. There's also a link hop at the end of the post so that I (and you) can check out all the other participating blogs and their great recipes.

I was a little nervous about this month's assignment, as I knew it would fall right during Detox January. I had my fingers crossed that I would be assigned a blog with at least a couple of healthy recipes from which I could choose.

I hit the jackpot!

My assigned blog was Cooking Whims, written by Megan, another New Englandah (yay!). Megan is clearly a big fan of Cooking Light recipes, as am I, so I was thrilled to find so many things to try. In fact, I wound up making two of her recipes and had a hard time choosing which one to feature (really, it came down to which one yielded a better photo).

The winner? White bean burgers, a perfect, meatless dinner option for Detox January.

Not all bean burgers are created equal, mind you; I've had too many experiences with their being either too crumbly or too gloppy, both conditions resulting in a burger that just won't stay together on a bun.

I'm happy to report that these white bean burgers not only held together but were also moist and flavorful. I modified Megan's recipe (adapted from Cooking Light) just a bit to accommodate what I had on hand, so I've presented it for you below.

I served these burgers on store-bought whole wheat buns but they'd be wicked on homemade Black Friday sandwich buns. And, if you're lucky enough to have tomato jam on hand, it would be an amazingly superior substitution for sliced tomato.

White Bean Burgers with Yogurt Feta Sauce

(adapted from Cooking Whims)
Yield: 8 burgers

Ingredients:
For the dressing --
1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons minced green onion or chives
3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

For the burgers --
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup almonds (sliced or whole, doesn't matter)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2  15-ounce cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), rinsed and drained
1 egg

Directions:
Whisk the yogurt, chives and feta cheese in a small bowl and set aside.

Add all the burger ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and whirl until smooth, adding a teaspoon or two of water if necessary.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Using a 1/2-cup measure, drop the bean mixture into heaps in the skillet (carefully use a spatula and damp hands to shape and pat them into rounds). Cook for a total of 8 minutes, turning once, or until nicely browned.

Serve the burgers -- topped with the dressing and spinach or lettuce leaves, as well as sliced tomato -- on lightly toasted buns.

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