Favorite Veggie Burgers

July 4 cookout at Aunt Linda’s Saturday. The whole family at the small Sapulpa-deck gathering. Brayden is four years and nine months old. Eden is just turned two. The Hawaiian kielbasa I had brought to last year’s cookout was the small repeat-contribution this year.

Mama is fully recovered from her January surgery. Cody is operating the cafe’s lunch-and-dinner-and-pop-up rotation steadily. Aunt Linda and Roy are in their small mid-sixties rhythm.

The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. The small two-bedroom rental in the small midtown Tulsa neighborhood has been the small Bryant-residence since the move from the smaller previous apartment in January 2021. The small twelve-unit walk-up building is the small working-class pocket the small family of three (then four, then five) has been built in.

The small Tulsa family-network continues. Shelly (Kaylee’s mother) is the small Dollar General assistant-manager in Broken Arrow. Cody (Kaylee’s brother) is in the small halfway-house in Tulsa working at the small car-wash and trying to stay clean. Shelly’s boyfriend Roy drives a small bread-truck. The small geography of the small family rests on the small Tulsa-Broken-Arrow corridor.

The small Wednesday-night-dinners with Shelly at the small Kaylee-and-Dustin-apartment are the small family-business of a small kind. The small Shelly-plays-with-the-grandkids while Kaylee-cooks routine. The small closest-thing-to-a-normal-family-dinner Kaylee never had growing up. The small ritual has held for years.

The small budget-cooking-blog is the small Kaylee-creative-outlet. The small posts-with-the-receipts ($3.47-for-the-chicken-bake, $2.12-for-the-soup). The small audience of young-moms and small broke-families who want to eat well on the small tight-budget. The small Kaylee-message: you can feed five-on-$5-a-meal and here is how.

Dustin’s HVAC-career continues. The small shift from apprentice to journeyman-licensed has been the small career-trajectory. The small Dustin-makes-decent-money-for-Tulsa rate. The small future-house-down-payment-saving is the small two-or-three-year plan.

The small Dustin-Turner-parents-in-Owasso are the small in-law family network. The small annual-and-frequent visits the small twenty-minute-Owasso-drive enables. The small Turner-family is the small adjacent-stable-family Kaylee married into.

The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.

The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.

The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.

The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.

The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.

The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.

The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.

The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.

I brought the Hawaiian kielbasa again this year because some contributions just become yours—but watching everyone at Aunt Linda’s deck reminded me that the best cookout dishes are the ones that leave room at the table for everybody. These veggie burgers have been in my back pocket for exactly that reason: they’re the kind of thing you can set out alongside whatever else is on the grill, they cost almost nothing to make, and they hold up the same whether you’re feeding Brayden or Roy or someone you just met. That quiet Sapulpa afternoon, full of kids running and Mama laughing and Cody doing okay—that’s the feeling I want sitting behind every recipe I put out here. This one earns it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg (or flax egg for vegan)
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
6 burger buns, for serving
Toppings as desired: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, condiments

Instructions

Mash the beans. Add the drained black beans to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash until mostly smooth—a few whole beans left in the mix is fine and adds texture.
Build the mixture. Add the oats, cooked brown rice, onion, bell pepper, garlic, egg, soy sauce, tomato paste, smoked paprika, cumin, and black pepper to the bowl. Stir everything together until fully combined. The mixture should be thick enough to hold a patty shape. If it feels too wet, add a tablespoon of oats at a time until it firms up.
Form the patties. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions. Use your hands to shape each portion into a round patty about 3/4-inch thick. Place the formed patties on a plate or sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to help them hold together during cooking.
Cook the patties. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet (cast iron works great) or on a grill pan over medium heat. Add 3 patties at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook for 4–5 minutes per side, until a dark crust forms and the patties are heated through. Repeat with the remaining oil and patties.
Toast the buns. While the last batch cooks, toast the burger buns cut-side down in the same pan for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden.
Serve. Set the patties on the toasted buns and pile on your favorite toppings. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Favorite Veggie Burgers — The Cookout Dish That Belongs to Everyone at the Table