Greek-inspired bean burgers recipe

Serve our Greek-inspired bean burgers with pitta, in buns, or with a hearty salad for a delicious and easy lunch or dinner. 

These burgers are a great option if you want more healthy family meals. Lots of the ingredients are very important and beneficial for good heart health too. Mixed beans are bursting with minerals and fibre, and low in saturated fat. They help improve your blood cholesterol and will keep you feeling fuller for longer so you’re less likely to snack between meals. 

Ingredients

• 1tbsp red wine vinegar
• 75g (2 1⁄2oz) 0% fat Greek style natural yogurt or vegan alternative
• 2tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1⁄2 cucumber, finely diced
• 2 wholemeal pitta breads, halved
• Bag mixed salad leaves, to serve

For the burgers:

• 1 1⁄2tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, 1⁄2 diced and 1⁄2 finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 400g tin mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 30g (1oz) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1tbsp dried oregano
• 1tsp chilli akes
• 1⁄2tsp dried mint
• Zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• 75g (21⁄2oz) reduced-fat Greek-style salad cheese or vegan alternative

Method

1. For the burgers, heat 1⁄2tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and cook the diced onion and the garlic until soft. Add the mixed beans to the pan to warm through. Use a potato masher to crush them into a paste. Mix in the breadcrumbs, oregano, chilli flakes, mint, lemon zest and juice, and cheese. Press and shape into 4 patties.
2. Pour the vinegar over the sliced onion. Mix together and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 1tbsp oil in the frying pan and cook the burgers for 4 mins on each side until cooked through and hot.
4. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, mint and cucumber. Toast the pitta breads and open up the pockets. Top the bean burgers with some of the sliced onion. Serve with the salad leaves, the pittas and the refreshing minty yogurt.

Top tips for making our Greek inspired bean burgers 

You could also roll the burger mixture into small balls and fry or cook in the air fryer for 5-10 mins until crisp and piping hot. Serve with a zingy Greek salad full of tomatoes, feta, onion, and kalamata olives. 

Jessica Ransom

"Mixed beans help to give the burger mixture some variety in colour but you can swap for whatever you have in the cupboard. I've successfully made them using only chickpeas, butter beans and even black beans." 

With a non-stick frying pan, you can omit the oil for frying the bean burger patties, helping to reduce the calorie count even further. This one from Our Place is stylish and versatile. 

Our Place Always Pan - View at Our Place 

Not only does this pan look stylish, but it’s highly functional too. It has an excellent non-stick coating and it’s best to hand wash to maintain the condition. The pan will come in very handy when frying eggs or pancakes too! 

For some even quicker dinner inspiration, check out these 15 minute meals. We also have some tasty cheap family meals and our classic bean burger recipe is a popular choice with veggies.