Caprese Burgers

Giada De Laurentiis

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Giada at HomeEpisode: Game Day Favorites

Rated 5 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 14 Reviews
Total Time:
35 min
Prep
15 min
Inactive
5 min
Cook
15 min
Yield:
8 servings
Level:
Easy
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Ingredients

Burgers:

  • 2 1/2 pounds ground sirloin beef
  • 1 cup fresh or store-bought pesto, recipe follows
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • One 7 to 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices, patted dry with paper towels

Pesto Mayonnaise:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup fresh or store-bought pesto
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Eight 3-inch-square pieces of tomato or plain focaccia bread, halved, or 8 hamburger buns, halved
  • 4 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (16 slices)

Directions

Cook's Note: Freeze the mozzarella for 20 minutes to make slicing easier.

For the burgers: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Combine the beef, pesto, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Form the mixture into eight 4-inch-diameter patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn the burgers over and place a slice of mozzarella on top. Cook for about 5 minutes longer until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese is slightly melted. Allow the burgers to rest for 5 minutes.

For the pesto mayonnaise: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and pesto until smooth.

To assemble the burgers: Drizzle the cut side of the bread with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the pesto mayonnaise over the bottom halves of the grilled bread. Place the burgers on top and add 2 tomato slices. Add the top halves of the bread and serve.

Pesto:

  • 2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cook's Note: To toast the pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.

Combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, salt, pepper and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Yield: 1 1/4 cups.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 14 reviews

  • on April 23, 2012

    Flag

    My fiance can't get enough of pesto, he thinks these are the best burgers he has ever had! Mine kinda fall apart though, but they are so worth it. I watched Giada make these on her show and had had had to find the recipe! LOVE

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  • on February 12, 2012

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    You always have amazing recipes. I made beef sliders for our super bowl party and may I say they were perfect. I liked them so much that I made turkey sliders using the same recipe the following week for our son's birthday party. It is hard to believe but the turkey version was even more delicious then the beef version. The flavor was unique and had a fancy flair to them. Everybody loved them!!

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  • on February 11, 2012

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    Amazing flavor. This is the first time I made my own pesto and it is SO worth the effort ... Way better than store bought. The combination of flavors in the burger is absolutely perfect! Giada, you are a wizard.

    people found this review Helpful.
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