Looks like summer. Feels like summer. Tastes like summer. That pretty much sums up this burger. And our weekend.
After weeks of cursing at begging and pleading with the basil plants to do something, they did.
And that something was EXPLODE.
Not in the literal sense, obviously. Although a backyard full of sweet, purple, and elephant basil-scented confetti would smell a whole lot better than chlorine and the new mulch that kind of smells like a hamster cage when it rains.
So I made pesto. (2 1/2 cups of pesto!) And then I slathered it on burgers with tomatoes from the garden that I had slow-roasted and a thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. And I served that along size grilled zucchini & red onions – zucchini that I remembered to pick before it reached baseball bat size. (I’m 3 for 3!)
And that is truly the most satisfying thing about gardening. To be able to look down at your dinner plate and say: I grew that, I grew that, I made that, and I almost didn’t burn those.
Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto, and Mozzarella
Pesto, roasted tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella: summer's best trio of flavors in burger form.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- 3 burger buns
- Pesto, purchased or homemade
- Roasted tomatoes
- 3 slices of fresh mozzarella
Instructions
- Heat grill to high.
- Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce and form into 3 patties.
- Grill 7-8 minutes (or to desired doneness), flipping halfway through.
- Turn off the grill, place a slice of cheese on each burger, and close the grill for a minute to melt the cheese.
- Place burger buns on the grill for ~1 minute, just until toasted.
- Spread pesto on the buns and top with a patty, a handful of roasted tomatoes.
Notes
Yields: 3 servings
Estimated time: 20 minutes