MAKE THIS RECIPE NOW! These copycat Big Macs are SO tasty!!

I have made these a couple times and even if the recipe changes just a little bit, they never fail to impress me. They really do taste like burgers, but better. They are vegetarian, easily made vegan, and very healthy. They contain black beans, herbs and spices, white onion and gluten-free rolled oats as the breadcrumbs and can be placed on any bun of your choice or lettuce wraps. I like to pair these burgers with sweet potato ‘fries’. Why ‘fries’? I use only 2 tbsp of olive oil to sear the sweet potato slices for a few minutes to ensure they are cooked but not deep fried, so ‘fries’ meaning they are a little bit healthier.

I decided to use gluten-free bread one time I made them and lettuce as a wrap the next time. It depends if you prefer more of a toast-like crunch or a soft-shell lettuce crunch. I also recommend just buying the McDonald’s Big Mac sauce from the grocery store, since they now bottle it and sell it everywhere! It is the real deal sauce too. It’s basically mayonnaise, sugar, relish, onion and French salad dressing, but they have the recipe down pat and even though that part is not healthy, it’s what makes the meal.

Makes: 4 burgers

Ingredients for the black bean burgers: 1 19oz can black beans, 1/2 medium white onion (chopped finely- I used a food processor), 2 small cloves garlic (minced), 1 tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 cup rolled oats (or breadcrumbs if not GF), 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, any oil for sautéing the burgers, 2 tbsp oil of your choice for frying (I used olive oil).

Instructions for the black bean burgers: add in all the ingredients (except the oil) into a food processor and run until blended smoothly. If you don’t have a food processor, mash the black beans with a potato masher in a large bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients with a spoon or your hands. Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium in a frying pan. Scoop approximately 2 tbsp of the mixture into your hand and place in the frying pan (usually 2 burgers at a time). I use a spatula to squish the burger down a little bit and to flip the burger when it become more solid on the bottom. You’ll find you cook each side for about 3-5 minutes.

Ingredients for rest of dish: 2 large sweet potatoes (cut into fry style strips), 2 tbsp oil (for fries), 2 tbsp olive oil (for frying potato), 4 slices GF bread (your brand preference, I split the slices in half in the toaster to use for top and bottom bun) (*you can also use lettuce slices) 2 dill pickles (sliced into thin pieces), 1 large tomato (sliced into 4 medallions), 4 slices cheddar cheese (pre-sliced is fine as well), 1/2 cup white onion (finely chopped), 4 pieces of lettuce (if you’d like), and McDonald’s Big Mac sauce (I bought mine at Food Basics) (to taste- as much as desired). *You can find the recipe for the vegan version of the Big Mac sauce at: https://www.peta.org/living/food/diy-healthy-vegan-big-mac-recipe/

Instructions for rest of dish: chop sweet potatoes into fry style strips and begin heating the oil in a large frying pan. Begin toasting bread or wash lettuce (depending on your choice of ‘bun). Place black bean burger on bottom slice, cover with Big Mac sauce and top with tomato slice, cheese slice, pickles and chopped onion. Place the top bun on burger and pair with a side of sweet potato fries.

Who knew black beans and some herbs and spices could taste like a meaty burger? Making all these recipes and exploring all kinds of vegetarian options on Pinterest and in vegetarian/vegan cookbooks has certainly opened up a world of options for us. This dinner is filling, healthy and flavourful!