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.
Photo: Caprese Burgers Recipe

















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By mabyrd007_12274675
Clover, 80
on February 05, 2013
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I made these again this year for the Super Bowl and they still rock!!!!! I am having a leftover burger right now while I watch the video!
By nicedee
on November 15, 2012
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Wow I made these tonight and they were thee best burgers I have ever had! I used an herb foccasia and also used a store bought organic pesto sauce. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely be making these more often. My picky 8 year old also like these alot! I served with Italian style french fries and a kale dijon salad. YUM!!
By Adnilreed
Elkhart, IN
on June 28, 2012
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I had to start with reading how to make pesto with my basil, didn't turn out too well, it was a little too much oil. Mixed with meat and felt it was a little greasy. Burgers were good but as with previous rating mine also fell apart. It seemed like alot of work but that was probably because I had to make the pesto first. Would most likely make again "once I work on making the pesto better!" Tasted good.
Read all 16 reviews