Pesto Burgers
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Pesto Burgers are the bomb. They are an incredibly easy grilling recipe, a great recipe for a crowd, AND a fabulous freezer meal. The big flavors in pesto: basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese all taste awesome with ground beef.
About This Recipe
As we were developing a Pesto Meatball Sub recipe for our cookbook, the idea of creating a Pesto Burger was born. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before.
We highly recommend you make your own pesto. (Did you know you can freeze pesto?) If you must use store-bought pesto, we recommend using refrigerated pesto.
I’m sure you know this but burgers make a great meal idea for groups of people. You can make them in advance and simply throw them on the grill when your people are ready. Set up a “burger bar” for our group and you’ll have a crowd-pleasing meal in minutes.
Ingredients
Only four ingredients needed!
- Lean ground beef – Here’s where we get the meat we trust.
- Pesto – Use our pesto recipe. If you take a shortcut with store-bought pesto, we recommend the refrigerated kind.
- Mozzarella Cheese – You can use other cheese, but we think the Parmesan in the pesto pairs well with mozzarella.
- Buns – We love them toasted!
How to Make Pesto Burgers
It’s so easy! Just dump the pesto in to the ground beef and mix it up. Despite what the picture below communicates, I recommend using your hands for this job. They are your best kitchen tool. 🙂
Here are some burger grilling tips:
- Form the patties so that they are larger in circumference than the bun you plan to use. They will shrink as they cook.
- Make sure patties are as thick or thicker on the outer edges, else they will shrink and squeeze the meat toward the center of the patty, otherwise known as the “baseball” effect.
- Don’t overwork the meat. This results in tough burgers.
- Let the meat sit at room temperature for a bit (like 20-30 min) before you grill.
- Cook over a clean grill that is at medium heat. High heat will burn the burgers.
- The oil might cause some flair ups so if you can, place them over indirect heat.
Want More Grilling Recipes
This round-up is full of easy, family-friendly, and mostly real food grilling recipes that you can throw on the “barbie” in no time.
Make It A Freezer Meal
Another great thing about this recipe is that it freezes beautifully. You’ll be so glad to have this freezer meal later down the road.
Simply double or triple the batch and freeze the burger patties before cooking. Put them in an airtight container of some sort and freeze! When you want to eat them, thaw them out in safe way and you will never know they weren’t prepped fresh!
To Freeze: Place the patties in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze.
To Prepare: Let burgers thaw in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Grill or cook on the stove.
FAQs
Cook 1/3 pound burgers on a preheated grill or grill pan over high heat (about 450°F) for 2-3 minutes on EACH side, until golden brown. Do not push down on the burgers while they cook. Then, move to a lower heat area of the grill and cook to desired doneness, another 3-4 minutes (for medium) or 5-6 minutes (for well-done).
Use a meat thermometer to determine when your burger is done to your liking. It’s safest to cook until well-done to kill any bacteria. A well-done burger is no longer pink inside and has an internal temperature of 160°F.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Pesto Burgers
These Pesto Burgers will be a family favorite for sure! Lean, flavorful and savory for the win, they are an incredibly easy grilling recipe, a great recipe for a crowd, AND a fabulous freezer meal.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (we get our grass-fed, grass-finished beef from ButcherBox)
- 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) pesto (use our pesto recipe)
- Mozzarella Cheese Slices
- 6 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted (or sub large lettuce leaves)
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Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef and pesto gently using your hands. Do not overmix.
- Divide meat mixture into six equal portions and form burger patties. Leave a slight indentation in the middle of the burger so that the edges are thicker. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Cook burgers on a preheated grill or grill pan over high heat (about 450°F) for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Do not push down on the burgers while they cook. Then, move to a lower heat area of the grill and cook to desired doneness, another 3-4 minutes (for medium) or 5-6 minutes (for well-done). A well-done burger is no longer pink inside and has an internal temperature of 160°F. In the last minute of cooking, add optional mozarella slices on top.
- Serve on a toasted whole grain bun or a large lettuce leaf with your favorite toppings and condiments, like lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard.
Freezer Meal Instructions:
To Freeze: Place the burgers in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze.
To Prepare: Let burgers thaw in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Follow cooking instructions above starting at step 3.
Notes/Tips
- Each one is a big 1/3 pound burger, although you can make them into 8 smaller patties (instead of 6).
- If you really want to take these over the top, try our Secret Sauce from our Smash Burger recipe.
- These are especially delicious on our Bread Machine Hamburger Buns.
- To keep the burgers from getting tough, try not to over handle the meat mixture.
- The key to uniformly shaped/cooked burgers is to leave an indentation in the middle of the burger, so the outside of the patty is thicker than the middle. This is an important step because otherwise, you’ll end up with a cooked burger where the center is puffed up and thicker than the outside.
- Never press down on a burger while it cooks. This will result in a dried-out patty.
- Try toasting the insides of the buns on the grill for 1-2 minutes to add some texture.
Helen says
Using an old favorite (burgers) was a great way to get my kids to try something new (pesto).