A fresh and delicious twist, this burger combines the best of Italian flavors in a summer classic our whole family enjoys, and I hope yours does, too! I previously published this summer favorite of ours almost five years ago, but it deserves some updates we’ve made!
I don’t always fit people’s definition of a foodie, or at least whatever they have in mind when they find out my husband and I are total foodies.
People think that we’re going to turn up our noses at casual food or things that come from mixes or, you know, love the queen but “storebought is okay” doesn’t send the right message.
Instead, we’re more about the idea that food is a love language.
Not an “eating your feelings” kind of love language, but if we love someone, we take a lot of pleasure in serving them a delicious, healthy, and tasty home-cooked meal. And you want to show us love? Feed us. Cook it from the heart. And yeah, we don’t care if it’s totally from scratch or it’s your grandmother’s no fail quick-win dinner that comes from the creative combination of three different boxes.
And it doesn’t have to be an obscure cut of something beautifully plated with hard to find spices and vegetables you foraged from the woods out back. It can be a casual burger from the grill out back, meat plus a slice of cheese plus a bun. No big deal.
However…
We do love to play with fresh ingredients from scratch. We do love to add ingredients from the backyard garden. We do love creative takes on seasonal staples. We love the amount of elevation you can give any type of meal at all with the right combination of fresh ingredients and flavors.
This Caprese Burger is everything I love about food. You start with a delicious and savory mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage with a splash of balsamic vinegar and some classic Italian seasoning. And you serve it up on a toasted bun with sun-dried tomato pesto ailoi, melted mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and fresh basil, straight from the garden.
So I will totally dig into whatever you’re cooking up at your backyard barbecue without judgment. And I cook plenty of meals at home that come from packages and boxes or whatever I need to use to get stuff on the table for my family in a decent time interval.
But I’ll also play with fun concepts like this burger, which plays a prominent role in our summer rotation. Add it to yours, before the summer is out!
Balsamic Caprese Burgers
Serves 4.
What You’ll Need:
For sun-dried tomato pesto:
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
For the burgers:
- 4 medium sized tomatoes
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Italian seasoning to taste
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinaigrette {we like Newman’s Own}
- more Italian seasoning to taste
- 4 large round slices fresh Mozzarella
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- 8 large basil leaves
How to Make Them:
1. Let’s start with the sun-dried tomato pesto. Place together the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and process until well blended. Throw in the vinegar, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes, and process. Stir in the olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Let’s roast the tomatoes. Preheat your oven to 400F. Slice the tomatoes into thick slices {1/3-1/2 inch} and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cook at 400F for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes have started to crinkle.
3. Combine the ground beef and ground Italian sausage in a large bowl. Add the balsamic vinaigrette and season well with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Divide into 4 large patties.
4. Heat your grill or a table top grill to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 5 minutes each side or until juices run clear. Top the patties with a large slice of mozzarella each and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the mozzarella melts slightly. I use the top of my tabletop grill to brown the cheese slightly.
5. Mix together the 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 4 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto in a small bowl or ramekin to make the aioli and set aside. Toast the buns if desired.
6. Assemble the burgers by spreading the sun-dried tomato pesto aioli on the buns and then layering each with a burger with melted mozzarella, a chunk of roasted tomato, a couple of basil leaves, and the top bun. Serve and enjoy!
Balsamic Caprese Burgers
Ingredients
For the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts finely chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
For the burgers:
- 4 tomatoes medium sized, sliced
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Italian seasoning to taste
- 1 lb beef grass-fed
- 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinaigrette
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- 8 ea basil leaves large
- 4 buns
Instructions
- Let’s start with the sun-dried tomato pesto. Place together the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and process until well blended. Throw in the vinegar, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes, and process. Stir in the olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Let’s roast the tomatoes. Preheat your oven to 400F. Slice the tomatoes into thick slices {1/3-1/2 inch} and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cook at 400F for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes have started to crinkle.
- Combine the ground beef and ground Italian sausage in a large bowl. Add the balsamic vinaigrette and season well with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Divide into 4 large patties.
- Heat your grill or a table top grill to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 5 minutes each side or until juices run clear. Top the patties with a large slice of mozzarella each and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the mozzarella melts slightly.
- Mix together the 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 4 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto in a small bowl or ramekin to make the aioli and set aside. Toast the buns if desired.
- Assemble the burgers by spreading the sun-dried tomato pesto aioli on the buns and then layering each with a burger with melted mozzarella, a chunk of roasted tomato, a couple of basil leaves, and the top bun. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
What’s your favorite twist on the classic burger?
