Caprese Burgers
Caprese Burgers are a delicious and vibrant twist on classic burgers. This recipe is perfect for a summer barbecue or a quick dinner during the week. The combination of juicy beef, flavorful pesto, fresh tomato, and tangy mozzarella is sure to satisfy all your taste buds.
Burgers are the quintessential summer barbecue fare. When you mix the ground beef (I’m using ground chuck and ground sirloin for extra pizzazz) with homemade pesto sauce, you elevate the humble burger.
Top the burger with fresh mozzarella slices, pesto and ripe tomatoes and sandwich it within a toasted brioche bun. This all adds up to amazing!
The recipe for pesto is very easy, especially if you use a food processor. Combine the basil, almonds and garlic and pulse until it’s finely chopped. Add the olive oil, process, and add the Pecorino Romano cheese. Pulse it all together, season with salt & pepper, and you are done.
Add 1/4 cup of pesto to a large bowl along with the ground beef and a bit of salt. Gently knead to blend and form into 6 patties. You can see the pesto blended throughout each patty!
Grill the burgers over fairly high heat for 3 minutes, then flip the burgers, top them with mozzarella slices and close the grill top. Cook for another 3 minutes or medium-rare or a little longer if you like them less rare.
Grill the buns until they are toasted and slather some pesto on the bottom bun. Top with the burgers, tomatoes and remaining pesto. Add the top bun and get ready to eat!
For a quicker pesto sauce, feel free to use store-bought.
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Caprese Burgers
Makes: 6 burgers
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Grill Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 1/4 cup salted roasted almonds
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 pound ground beef sirloin
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 slices
- 6 brioche hamburger buns, split
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
Instructions
In a food processor, combine the basil with the almonds and garlic and pulse until the almonds are finely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and process to a paste. Add the grated Pecorino and pulse to combine. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 cup.
Transfer 1/4 cup of the pesto to a bowl. Add the ground chuck and ground sirloin and a pinch of salt and gently knead to blend. Form the mixture into six 4-inch patties, about 3/4-inch thick. Brush the burger patties lightly with olive oil.
Light a grill and oil the grates. Grill the burgers over moderately high heat for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers, top them with the mozzarella slices and close the grill. Cook for 3 minutes longer for medium-rare burgers. Grill the buns until lightly toasted, then spread some of the pesto on the bottoms. Top with the burgers, the tomatoes and the remaining pesto. Close the burgers and serve right away.
Make Ahead:
The pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
Recipe by Food & Wine
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