In what seems like a different lifetime, I was an ardent vegetarian and lived off of a diet of veggie burgers, black beans, and french fries. Of course, there are many ways to be a thriving, healthy vegetarian but I just wasn’t one of them. I was in college at the time and was convinced I was making healthy choices for my body but as the years went on, I had less and less energy and was finally advised to slowly introduce meat back into my diet.
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Craved Burgers Recipe
After over a decade of not eating meat, I wasn’t terrific at preparing it at home but I craved burgers, so I’d often order them when eating out. Fast forward to the present day and, in truth, I’m still pretty crummy at cooking meat. I can handle pasta sauce, chicken, and burgers at home — but anything else I tend to overcook or botch somehow. And while delicious, there are only so many ways to dress up a beef burger so when I saw this recipe for a Greek version I couldn’t help but wonder what they’d be like as lamb burgers instead.
Recipe For Lamb Burgers
Our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant here in Seattle makes a hummus that comes out warm, topped with a layer of sizzling lamb. Again, my wheels were spinning. What if I made these burgers with lamb and topped them with feta, hummus and the grilled mushroom and pepper mixture? This was definitely something I could handle, and would feel like a step up from the typical burger game.
Beef Burger
I didn’t end up straying too far from the original recipe except in my choice to use lamb instead of beef and in spreading a thick layer of our favorite hummus on the buns before serving. I also added some greens for color, and ended up making a big salad to accompany the lamb burgers. And a cold beer. With really only 30 minutes or so of active prep and cook time, these will be a ‘make again’ very soon. The beer’s chilling already.
Greek Lamb Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups thickly sliced button or cremini mushrooms
- 2 small red onions, sliced
- 1 red sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into strips
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup hummus, to serve (optional)
- ¾ cup arugula (or other greens), to garnish (optional)
- 4 kaiser rolls, split and toasted
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine lamb, Worcestershire sauce, half of the oregano, salt and pepper (try not to overmix). Shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties. Set aside.
- In a large cast-iron skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and sweet peppers. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in remaining oregano. Transfer vegetable mixture to a medium bowl; cover to keep warm.
- Return skillet to stovetop; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is very hot. Add beef patties. Cook patties for 12 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 160 degrees F, turning once. (Reduce heat if burgers brown too quickly.)
- Serve burgers topped with vegetables, hummus, and feta on toasted buns.
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