An Inspired Cook

Nothing beats a good burger don’t you think.  I like to layer a burger so that when you take that first bite you can taste all the different flavors that are going on.  This pesto burger has balsamic roasted tomatoes that will burst in your mouth both literally and figuratively. You will need plenty of napkins because it will drip down your chin good . . . with arugula pesto and roasted tomato juiciness.  The mess will be worth it,  I promise.

I wanted to pack everything with flavor so the first thing to do is add some balsamic vinegar and olive oil to the tomatoes and onions with some salt and pepper sprinkled on top.

You’ll need 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Whisk it together until it becomes emulsified.

Drizzle balsamic mixture over tomatoes and onions and salt and pepper.  Grill until tomatoes start to burst and onions are soft and translucent.

Your going to love the way fresh mozzarella melts on your burger.  Cut 1 – 2 slices per burger.

When your burger is a couple minutes from being ready, place the slices of fresh mozzarella on to melt.

I used arugula pesto for this burger and spread it on the bottom, next to the meat.  Next, start layering the onions  . . .

And the tomatoes, I managed to get 4 on each burger.

Top with a few leaves of arugula for a little crunch.

Is your mouth watering yet?


Pesto Burgers

1 1/2 pounds Ground Beef
Arugula Pesto
6 – 8 slices Fresh Mozzarella
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Sweet Onion, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Arugula leaves
4 Hamburger Buns

Divide ground beef into 4 parts to make 4 patties.  Set aside.  Start charcoal or gas grill.

Combine balsamic vinegar and olive oil and whisk until mixture becomes emulsified.  Place cherry tomatoes and onions on a grill pan and drizzle the balsamic mixture over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Salt and pepper the ground beef patties and set on grill.  Also add the grill pan filled with tomatoes and onion slices.  Grill burgers to desired doneness about 4 minutes on each side.  Turn the onion slices at the same time as the burgers.  When burgers have about 2 minutes left, add mozzarella slices to melt.  Check the tomatoes and onions.  The tomatoes should start to burst and onions become soft and translucent.

Toast buns and spread arugula pesto over bun.  Layer with burger patty, sweet onion, cherry tomatoes and arugula slices.