Amish Chili Burgers

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This recipe for Amish Chili Burgers comes from a classic Amish cookbook. In other Amish cookbooks, they are called "beanburgers" which would lead one to believe they are a vegetarian concoction. But, nope.  Vegetarianism among the Amish is rare.  

It's a culinary culture steeped in meat and potatoes.  You are seeing gluten-free type diets seeping into Amish culture and you are seeing some Amish pulling back from red meat in favor of chicken and fish, but that is about it.  So yeah, not surprising that an Amish version of beanburgers has meat. I think the name "Amish Chili Burgers" is more accurate anyway, because it does sort of taste like eating chili in burger form, with ground beef and beans and chili powder in a patty combination.

We are entering the warm months in most of the USA and that means many Amish switch to grilling outside. It keeps the heat out of the kitchen and it's just a nice change of pace. Hamburgers are popular on the grill, as is chicken and fish and veggies. But these "chili burgers" are a nice change of pace.

So, how do you make them?

You start out with a simple array of ingredients and, keep in mind, this makes more of a "sloppy joe" type mixture than it does a burger. I mean, I guess you could add eggs to the mixture and form into patties, but let's just stick with the recipe as it was given.

Many Amish make their own catsup, but that is a lot of work, so feel free just to use the store-bought bottled kind.

Simmer the ground beef and onions. Make sure you add enough liquid to keep it from overcooking.

Add beans, kidney beans are in the first choice, but if you like black beans or pinto beans better, feel free to use them or use a blend. This is where you can get a lot of good fiber into the recipe.

When it's all done, serve on hamburger buns, toasted or regular and enjoy!

🍔 Chili Burger Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Then add 1 pint cooked kidney beans, drained.
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 /2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano

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📋 Instructions

1. Mix ground beef, oil, onions, catsup & Worcestershire sauce.
2. Add sufficient water to prevent burning and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Then add 1 pint cooked kidney beans, drained.  Salt and pepper to taste.
4.  Then add garlic, oregano & chili powder
5. Continue simmering about 30 more minutes.
6. Serve on buns, using only one half of bun.
7. Top with a slice of cheese and melt in a hot oven. Serve warm.

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🍔 Other Amish Fourth Of July Favorites

Vegetarian Shaker Baked Beans

Amish Four-Bean Bacon Baked Beans

Amish Sweet Macaroni Salad

Summer Bumbleberry Pie

Summer Lemon Bars

Amish Hoagie Salad

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🖨️ Full Recipe