Final Approach’s black bean burger is great to make at home

Sometimes you just need a great burger.

And for those who lean toward meatless diets, a bean burger might do the trick.

But when you feel the urge, don’t resort to a frozen “burger” filled with unknown ingredients; it’s easy to make a great burger at home.

All you need is the right recipe.

At Final Approach restaurant, 4959 S. Howell Ave., chef and co-owner Danny Martinez serves a Southwest Black Bean Burger with Ancho Mayonnaise and Pico Salsa as a special, and he says it’s one of his most popular dishes.

“We’ve been serving it on and off for about a year now,” he said. “People request it, and more people seem to want meatless options these days. “It’s a healthier than beef. It’s low in fat and high in protein.”

This recipe yields 12 burgers, but the mixture for the patties can be frozen.

“If you break this recipe down any further, you lose the taste because you are using just small pinches of the spices, and the consistency of the patty isn’t the same. It doesn’t hold together as well.”

He added that the recipe is the result of meals he makes at home for his family.

“I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico,” he said. “Corn, beans, chiles are pretty much my roots, so this recipe was easy to develop. At my home 12 bean burgers feed my family.”

Try This at Home brings the expertise of local chefs into your kitchen via a recipe, technique or tips. To suggest a chef, restaurant or bakery recipe to feature, email Joanne Kempinger Demski at joanne.demski@jrn.com.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Topped with pepper jack cheese, pico salsa and ancho mayo, this black bean-corn veggie burger from Final Approach is loaded with flavor.