Burgers are always a crowd pleaser and tend to be good for the budget as well. We have burgers in some form every few weeks.
This method for cooking the burgers on a fine bed of salt is the best thing if you don’t have time to fire up the BBQ. As the burgers cook the salt helps the juices congeal and brown to form a super tasty crust.
Burgers with Quick Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 1 can tomatoes 400g / 14oz
- 2-4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 bag baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Place tomatoes and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Preheat a small frying pan or skillet on a super high heat. Sprinkle a very fine layer of salt over the base of the pan. You’ll need a little less than a teaspoon.
- Divide meat into two and shape into burger patties. Sear for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking.
- Combine lemon juice with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Season. Toss in leaves to just coat.
- Taste and season the sauce, remembering that the burgers will be quite salty. Serve burgers topped with sauce and salad on the side.
Variations
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with burger buns and / or home made fries or a packet of commercial potato crisps.
different meat – pretty much any minced (ground) meat can be made into burgers. Try lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. I’ve even made burgers from buffalo which were super tasty.
vegetarian – try these Zucchini burgers, Chickpea Burgers OR these veggie burgers.
really short on time – skip making the the sauce and just serve with a commercial ketchup or BBQ sauce.
more veg – serve with grilled veg, tomato.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – replace butter with extra virgin olive oil.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
beef – freeze.
tomatoes – pantry.
butter – keeps in the fridge for months.
lemon juice – lemons keep in the fridge in a plastic bag for months.
baby spinach leaves – use for another meal. Can be frozen but will wilt when defrosted. If you choose this option, I think it’s nicer to warm the wilted spinach before serving.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
This meal intrigues me despite the fact that I hate canned tomatoes. It seems like it ought to work just fine with fresh grape tomatoes. I haven’t made burgers in a long time, and will be interested to see how they turn out with the salted pan. It seems to me like that technique would work well with turkey burgers, also.
Yes Susan – a fresh grape tomato salsa would be lovely! And absolutely for turkey burgers