Greek Burgers. Opa! I can’t say “Greek burgers” without hearing the words in my head, spoken in the voice of one of the uncles from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Pass the Windex!
Jump to RecipeThis dish was inspired by another trip to Santorini. One of our teenage sons was craving a burger. You know, just a plain old, normal, American style burger. When his meal arrived, it was not what he expected–but a family favorite was born.
The restaurant proudly described the dish as a blend of meats, seasoned, and stuffed with cheese and they did not disappoint. The football-shaped burgers fit perfectly into a wedge of pita bread. Add a dollop of tzatziki and maybe a cucumber salad on the side and you will say “Opa!”, too!
Ingredient Notes
Meat: I generally use lamb and beef, but feel free to substitute pork for part of the total. Because ground lamb tends to have a higher fat content, it’s ok to use leaner (90%) beef. If you think you don’t like lamb, or haven’t really tried it, this is a good recipe to test the waters. You might be surprised!
Cheese: I always use Laughing Cow Creamy Light Swiss Cheese. It is soft and easy to shape in the burgers, but holds together pretty well once cooked. Besides, each box has eight wedges which will yield 16 2oz burgers–exactly the same as the two pounds of meat. Perfect!
Greek Burgers
A simple cheese stuffed lamb and beef burger.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pkg creamy swiss cheese wedges Laughing Cow
Instructions
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Place ground lamb and beef in a medium size bowl. Add cumin and salt and mix well.
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Open the foil packages of cheese and divide each wedge lengthwise into two pieces.
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Using 2 ounces of the meat mixture, flatten it into an oval and place a piece of cheese on top. Carefully shape the meat around the cheese, sealing the seams well. Form it into an elongated football shape with your hands.
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Cook on the grill, turning the burgers gently so that the cheese doesn’t escape!
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Serve with Syrian bread and tzatziki.
Greek Burgers Pictorial
Such a short and simple list of ingredients!
Start by slicing each wedge of cheese lengthwise. It’s good to do them all at the beginning before things get messy!
Flatten 2oz of the meat mixture into an oval and place a wedge of cheese on top.
Shape the meat around the cheese, being sure to seal it completely. The finished burger should look like an elongated football.
Grill the burgers and serve with Syrian bread and tzatziki.
Sounds good to me especially since I know the author!
And never, ever even think about using lamb from outside of the US!