Middle Eastern Burgers
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
7 servings
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Calories
186 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern Burgers
Description
Middle Eastern Burgers consist of lean ground beef combined with finely chopped parsley or cilantro, minced onion, and a blend of spices including cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and pepper. The mixture is bound with a large egg, and optionally includes crumbled white bread soaked in olive oil for a moister, softer texture. The seasoned meat mixture is shaped into small thick patties before cooking.
Cooking is achieved by pan-frying with olive oil or grilling until the patties are cooked through and have a brown crust. The use of spices imparts a warm, slightly smoky and mildly spicy profile with herbal freshness from the parsley or cilantro. The cayenne adds a mild heat that can be adjusted to taste.
These burgers can be served as sliders or full-sized sandwiches. Accompanying them with a sriracha mayo sauce—a blend of mayonnaise and sriracha—introduces creamy heat complementing the savory patties.
The option to omit bread makes this recipe adaptable to gluten-free or low-carb diets without substantial changes to flavor or texture.
Ingredients
Burger Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef lean
- 1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons onion very finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1 lice white bread (optional - see note below)
- olive oil (optional, for pan frying - can also be grilled)
Sriracha Mayo Sauce Ingredients (optional)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
Instructions
Middle Eastern Burgers
- Place ground beef in a medium mixing bowl. Add the parsley or cilantro, onion, egg, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and turmeric. Cayenne is very spicy - the amount here will give the burgers a slight kick, but won't add a lot of heat. If spice sensitive, adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste - I usually add about 1/2 tsp each of salt and black pepper.
- Omit bread if keeping recipe gluten free or keto. If adding bread, cut the crust off of your piece of bread. Pour 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil onto a small plate. Soak the crustless bread in the olive oil, turning the slice once, until all the oil is soaked up by the bread. Shred and crumble the oil-soaked bread into tiny pieces and add it to the other burger ingredients.
- Stir all ingredients with a fork and/or clean hands until the spices and herbs are well blended with the meat.
- Gather the meat mixture in 1/4 cupfuls and make small thick patties (they will shrink up during cooking).
- Cook the patties. If grilling, grease the preheated grill before you start cooking. Grill for 15-20 minutes until cooked through to desired doneness. Cooking times may vary by grill type. Brush the burgers with olive oil periodically as they grill to keep them nice and moist.
- If you prefer not to grill the burgers, you can cook them in a skillet using 1/4 cup of olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the burgers for 10-15 minutes, flipping occasionally, until cooked through to desired doneness.
Notes
- Adding a slice of white bread soaked in olive oil creates a softer, spongier texture but is optional.
- Omitting the bread keeps the recipe gluten-free and does not significantly affect flavor.
- Sriracha mayonnaise pairs well as a spicy sauce to serve alongside these burgers.
- Adjust the cayenne pepper amount to suit your heat preference, as the recipe offers mild spice by default.
- Form patties into small, thick portions for typical slider-sized servings.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 7servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 186 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 186kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 1% |
| Protein | 15g | 30% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 71mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 342mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 253mg | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 280IU | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 4.1mg | 5% |
| Calcium | 26mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2.3mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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