Caprese Burgers Recipe with Pesto Sauce

Pesto sauce kicks up the flavor of this delicious Caprese Burgers recipe topped with tomato, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Browsing the housewares aisles at Target recently you may have noticed products by the renowned chef Giada De Laurentiis. The Giada De Laurentiis Collection for Target features both food products and kitchen items…all designed to help you cook like the professionals.

I received several of these products to try and I especially LOVED the Giada De Laurentiis Basil Genovese Pesto.  I used it to make the Caprese Burgers Recipe below and they turned out fantastic! (That’s my own picture below.) Mario actually said that they were the best burgers I have made since we moved to Minnesota….and that was 5 years ago.

Giusto Sapore Basil Pesto

Since creating this recipe, the Giada De Laurentiis pesto is no longer being sold, but I did find this Giusto Sapore Basil Pesto “Pesto Genovese” Spread which is available on Amazon. If you prefer, you can also make your own homemade pesto to use in the recipe.

Caprese Burgers Recipe

Caprese Burger Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground sirloin beef
¾ cup Pesto sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (7 to 8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 8 1/4-inch-thick slices, patted dry with paper towels (for easier slicing, freeze cheese for 20 minutes before slicing)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 large fresh basil leaves*
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
8 hamburger buns (or 8 3″-square pieces of foccacia bread)
4 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds – 16 slices

How to Make Caprese Burgers a la Giada:

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pesto, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Slice cheese into 8 1/4 inch slices. Pat dry with paper towels. (for easier slicing, freeze cheese for 20 minutes before slicing).

Form beef mixture into 8 (4″ diameter) patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Grill for 5 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for 3 minutes. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each and continue to cook for about 2 minutes longer until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese is slightly melted (I closed the cover of the grill to help the melting). Allow the burgers to rest for 5 minutes.

Drizzle the cut side of the bread with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the mayonnaise over the bottom halves of the grilled bread. Place the burgers on top and add 2 tomato slices and a basil leaf. Add the top halves of the bread and serve.

*I thought I still had basil in the garden, but it was pretty much dead, so I prepared the recipe without the fresh basil and it was still delicious.

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Yield: 8

Caprese Burgers Recipe

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Pesto sauce kicks up the flavor of this delicious Caprese Burgers recipe!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds ground sirloin beef
• ¾ cup Pesto sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (7 to 8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 8 large fresh basil leaves*
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 8 hamburger buns (or 8 3"-square pieces of foccacia bread)
• 4 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds - 16 slices

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pesto, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Form mixture into 8 (4" diameter) patties, each about 3/4-inch thick.
2. Slice cheese into 8 1/4 inch slices,. Pat dry with paper towels. (for easier slicing, freeze cheese for 20 minutes before slicing)
3. Grill burgers 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each and continue to cook for about 2 minutes longer until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese is slightly melted (I closed the cover of the grill to help the melting).
4. Allow the burgers to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Drizzle the cut side of the bread with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Spread the mayonnaise over the bottom halves of the grilled bread.
7. Place the burgers on top and add 2 tomato slices and a basil leaf. Add the top halves of the bread and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 719Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1074mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 50g

Nutrition is calculated automatically and may not be accurate.

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