You all know I love me some burgers. I mean love. It’s a little awkward sometimes as I choose to ignore the man across from me at the table and rather stare longingly at the juicy grilled delight in front of me. Sorry boys, but you don’t stand a chance. Fortunately for me, I have a man who doesn’t question my bizarre love of foods. When I saw these burgers over at Hot Polka Dot(seriously, how cute is that blog!) I was so excited.
I’ve also had an unnatural addiction to basil this summer (perhaps its from the three THREE awesome basil plants that sprouted up in my back yard) and pesto has been on the top of my weekly creation list. Throw that in a burger? Oh heck yeah.
Pesto Burgers
From Hot Polka Dot
Ingredients:
For the Pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tbsp parmesan, grated
- Pepper to taste
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
For the burgers:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup marinara sauce
- 8 slices mozzarella
- 8 buns, sliced
Preparation:
For the pesto: In a food processor combine the basil leaves, garlic cloves, toasted pine nuts, parmesan, fresh ground black pepper and olive oil. Blend all the ingredients until there are no more chunks.
In a large bowl combine the pesto, ground beef, parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and egg. Mix it just until all the ingredients are combined. Divide the mixture into 8 even burgers.
Grill the burgers on a grill on high heat, covered, about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once. During the last few minutes of grilling, toast your buns and top each with a slice of mozzarella, covering again to melt. Transfer them to the sliced buns and top with the a spoonful of marinara suace and other burger toppings (onion, lettuce, tomato, etc). Serve with napkins and demolish.
My name is Kita. I am a 20 something girl geek and website/graphic designer who can rock an apron like there is no tomorrow. 
Gorgeous burgers, Kita! I’d be staring at them, too…no, I’d dive right in!!!!
[Reply]
Oh, Hell yeah! I’ll do anything that even smells like basil… twice. I wouldn’t even notice anyone else at the table with one of these in front of me.
Seriously, the burgers look wonderful, and the provenance of volunteer basil plants… just a happy day all around.
[Reply]
These sounds AMAZING. I am a sucker for pesto on/with anything. I know I would love this…
[Reply]
GREAT burger. Summer, basil, pesto. Burger. Pretty much a perfect combination.
[Reply]
Pesto and parmesan in a burger? Can you hear me sigh? It sounds and looks fantastic. I have plenty of basil out there still so I think I need to pick me a cup or so and get pestoing. Thanks for the recipe!
[Reply]
I woke up about an hour ago and opened up your post first..is it too early for burger?:)))
wow what a great photos, and recipe is divine..Love it Kita!!! buzz ya
[Reply]
Looks delicious! Now I’m craving a burger for lunch…
[Reply]
I love burgers too! And with pesto? I think I am in love!
[Reply]
Great pesto recipe. I does go great with so many foods!
[Reply]
Loving this burger Kita!! I adore pesto, one of my most favoritest things! Put it in a burger and this girl is in heaven!
[Reply]
I just tried pesto in a turkey burger, didn’t think to try it in a beef burger, yum!
[Reply]
Yummy… now you got me craving for some pesto burgers
looks really great.
feel free to check out my site am giving away a free designer’s lunch bag. Thanks.
[Reply]
I love pesto…perfect addition to burgers! These sound amazing!
[Reply]
Pesto in burgers is so good! Too bad my plant pretty much died in the heat this summer, so I don’t get to make any this year
[Reply]
Your photos are fabulous and are really making me crave that burger!
[Reply]
Love pesto! We had a bounty of basil this summer too and have been using it in everything. Love the idea of a besto burger. Your dinner sure beats ours tonight (leftovers!)
[Reply]
Kita this is delish! I completely understand your love for a good burger…my hubby ceased questioning that sort of thing years ago!
[Reply]
Great recipe. The burgers look so tasty. And your pics are out of this world.
[Reply]
Wow. I’m enduring my hunger as it’s passed 1am. But your burger made an huge impressions that I don’t know if I can go sleep with this empty stomach. This is such a gorgeous burger. I’m definitely going to have burger for lunch tomorrow (today).
[Reply]
This sounds so delicious. I love pine nuts. I guess we’re all a little weird in our own ways!
[Reply]
You had me at pesto! An then you mixed the pesto directly in the meat and I am ready to follow you wherever you want! What a great idea!
[Reply]
That looks divine! We are all about the burger.
[Reply]
Tasty looking burger! Would love to have a bite of it at this very moment!
[Reply]
Pesto and marinara on a burger? Looks awesome! I might make this sometime with a black bean veggie burger. Yummy! Thanks for the idea.
[Reply]
I don’t know if I saw this and completely forgot or if I just missed it, but awesome! I love your addition of the marinara! I’m seriously going to try my burgers like this next time.
[Reply]