This Mediterranean Burger is easy to whip up and it's loaded with fresh flavors. Perfect for indoor or outdoor grilling, this burger is delicious on a bun, in a lettuce wrap, over rice, or solo.
I love a summer outdoor party with delicious burgers to throw on the grill.
And by delicious, I mean these Mediterranean Burgers! With a Greek combination of deep flavors, every bite is to be savored.
You can also grill these indoors on a stove-top grill. And they can be made in a cast iron skillet. And to help you out when you're entertaining, you can even totally prep the burgers the day before.
Key Mediterranean Ingredients (and what Holds them Together)
These are big, juicy burgers, packed with wonderful, big flavors!
- ground beef - I like to use ground beef with about a 15% fat content to keep the burgers juicy. You can substitute the beef with ground turkey, chicken or lamb.
- crumbled Feta cheese. Made form sheeps milk, Feta is a brined chese, with a tangy flavor. milk.A good substitution is goat cheese, though since it's softer, you'll need to combine the burger mixture a bit more carefully so it stays somewhat intact.
- artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil - These will be drained and offer an excellent rich and flavorful texture contrast to the other ingredients.
- Kalamata olives - Kalamata olives add a bold briny, almost wine-like flavor to the burgers. You'll save time if you purchase them already pitted. A good substitute is Niçoise olives, or you can use about half the amount of capers. For a more mild flavor, use black olives.
- almond meal - Almond meal not only helps bind the burgers, but it also adds a nutty flavor. You can substitute it with regular or gluten-free bread crumbs.
- fresh garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots, which are an indication it's old and likely bitter. (Pro tip: if there are green shoots in your garlic cloves, slice them in half, lengthwise, and remove the green root with the tip of a knife. The rest of the clove should still be good.)
- fresh oregano and fresh rosemary - Always look for perky bunches of deep green fresh herbs. Basil is a good alternative, or you can use any combination of the three.
- extra virgin olive oil
- Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise - This is made with mayonnaise, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice, and it brings the burgers over the top.
How to Make Them
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
- In a large bowl, use your hands to evenly combine all of the ingredients.
- Shape the mixture into 6 evenly-sized burgers.
- Lightly coat an outdoor or stove-top grill with olive oil, and preheat. When the grill is very hot, add the burgers. You should hear a sizzling sound -- if you don't, wait! You won't get a nice caramelization and "crust" on the burger if it's not hot enough. Grill for about 4 minutes, then flip the burgers over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Grill for another 4 minutes or until the desired doneness (rare, medium, etc.).
- For the Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix the mayo with sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice.
- Serve the burgers with the Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise along with buns, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc.
Recipe Tips
- While the Mediterranean burgers work really well on a stove-top or outdoor grill, you can also make them in a skillet. You can achieve a similar char from a cast iron skillet.
- When using marinated artichoke hearts, even though they're "ready for use," many of their leaf ends need to be trimmed a bit, to remove sharp points or extra tough parts.
- Save any oil marinade you've drained form the artichokes. It 's great for sautéing.
Serving Suggestions
The burgers can be served with buns, lettuce wraps or solo. Butter lettuce is excellent for the wraps.
I love my burgers with avocado, tomato, onions and lettuce -- use what you like.
Salad and/or potato sides are always fantastic to serve with almost any burger. Below are a few of my favorites.
Cool French Fries to Serve with Burgers
- Chipotle Parmesan French Fries
- Halloumi Fries with Greek Yogurt Dip
- Purple Sweet Potato Fries
- Spiced Avocado Fries
Scrumptious Salads to Serve with Burgers
- Fried Meyer Lemon Caesar Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Watermelon Basil Salad
- Tomato Basil Salad
Can you make them ahead?
Yes! You can make and shape them the night before you plan to serve them. Wrap them tightly in plastic and keep them refrigerated until you're ready for them to hit the grill (or the pan).
More Unique Burger Recipes
- Salmon-Dill Burgers
- Red Quinoa Burgers
- Spicy Sriracha Burgers
- Yellow Split Pea Burgers
- Sesame-Crusted Ahi Tuna Burger
- Jalapeño Pepper Jack Turkey Burgers
- Shrimp Burgers with Chipotle Lime Guacamole
I hope you enjoy every last bite of these delicious Mediterranean Burgers!
Mediterranean Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese
- ½ cup artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil, drained, finely chopped
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted, finely chopped
- ¼ cup almond meal
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano, washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, washed and dried
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- a few turns freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil for the grill
Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise
- 6 tablespoons Mayonnaise (I prefer one made with avocado oil)
- 1½ tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to evenly combine all of the ingredients.
- Shape the burgers. Shape the mixture into 6 evenly-sized burgers -- each one should be about ¾ cup to 1 cup, and they should at least an inch thick.
- Grill. Lightly coat an outdoor or stove-top grill (or satué pan) with olive oil, and preheat. (Next best to a grill is a cast iron skillet.) When the grill or pan is very hot, put on your burgers. You should hear a sizzling sound -- if you don't, wait! You won't get a nice caramelization and "crust" on the burger if it's not hot enough. Grill or sauté for about 4 minutes, then flip the burgers over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Grill for another 4 minutes or until the desired doneness (rare, medium, etc.).
Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise
- Combine ingredients. Mix the three ingredients together in a small bowl.
Assembly
- Serve the burgers with the Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise, along with buns, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Pina Bresciani
I'm always looking for a good burger recipe! Can't wait to make these!!
valentina
Thank you! I hope you love them!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman
We make a similar burger with ground chicken, and it's always a favorite. I love the addition of artichoke hearts in your recipe though - we'll have to give it a try next time we're up for burgers. That Sun-Dried Tomato-Lemon Mayonnaise sounds fabulous, too!
valentina
Thanks so much. I bet it's great with ground chicken! 😀
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake
That burger looks and sounds so good! Can't wait to try it.
valentina
Hope you love it! Making it and eating it. 🙂
Sandi
I love the flavor you packed into these burgers!
valentina
They are indeed packed with flavor. Thank you!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
What an interesting combination of flavors in a hamburger. I have to try it , it looks delicious.
valentina
Thanks! Hope you love them! 🙂
Eha
Fantastic! I have a tendency to tell others I never eat burgers - well, I don't: the bought kind! This I call more of a meat' pattie' and it is on the menu often, hardly ever with chips (sorry, fries!) or. to me, an unnecessary bun . . . and, yes, I do eat carbs ! Love this delicious meat mixture and shall make a foray into your other recipes soonest. Love the fact you have used almond meal instead of panko ! Living mostly alone I use my indoor grill in the grill-drawer of my stove or a grill pan atop the stove at least 3-4 times a week summer and winter . . .my preferred way of cooking any protein . . .
valentina
I love my indoor grill too! I know exactly what you mean about burgers you might buy. Homemade everything is always better. 🙂 The almond meal is just the right texture to help the burgers keep their shape and it adds a subtle nutty flavor. I cook with nut flours whenever I can instead of wheat products because my son has Celiac Disease and is therefor gluten-free. Enjoy and as always, thank you for visiting. xo
Danielle
These look like the perfect burger! I love the delicious Mediterranean flavors that you added here!
valentina
Thanks so much Danielle! 🙂
angiesrecipes
Now you have me craving a burger for the breakfast! It looks absolutely droolworthy.
valentina
If I think desserts are acceptable for breakfast, then of course burgers are too! 🙂 Thank you and enjoy!
Naveen Sohail
Its a mouth watering burger. It increases my hunger and i also love the Mediterranean taste.
valentina
Thank you! Happy to hear just looking at it makes you hungry. 🙂
Ron
Good on your hubby for having such fine will power, except on cheat Sunday. Your Med burger looks so good I could take it naked except on the weekend and then I'd stuff it in a pita. Great recipe and one I shall try soon. Thanks for sharing.
valentina
Thanks Ron. Now you have me craving the burger in pita bread. That sounds really good! Enjoy. 🙂
P.S. My husband's Sunday cheat day results in me eating all of his not-so-healthy leftovers Mon through Sat. Ha!
Nancy
These are sooo up my alley!!! We grill year round - I always manage to set off the smoke alarm when I do it on my grill pan - LOL!!! Bookmarking for the next dry spell!!!!
valentina
Ha! Nancy, I do that too! Especially whenever I'm sautéing mushrooms. With the grill I usually (but not always) remember to turn the fan. Enjoy and thank you! 😀
sippitysup
I'm a burger fan, especially burgers like this that are a great big mouthful1 GREG
valentina
I love them like this too. Thank you Greg! xo V
Patricia Rose
What a brilliant idea with all those ingredients in the burger...and in a flash...too.
valentina
Ha! "Fresh Food in a Flash!" 😀 Thank you!
Dawn
We love grilling all year long too. Usually, we have the bbq outside, hubby bundles up warm and quickly grills whatever it is we are having. I could ALWAYS go for a burger and this one looks absolutely delicious, Valentina! The burgers themselves are jam packed and then all that garnish? Yes please! Pinned! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
valentina
I'm a wimp and stay in side. 😉 Ha! Thanks so much for pinning. Hope you have a great weekend too!
Marissa
We make a similar burger with turkey, but now I see that we need to try a beef version. These photos have my mouth watering!
valentina
Thanks so much, Marissa! Enjoy! 🙂
David
Fantastic combination! Mediterranean flavors are the best, and that mayo sounds divine!
valentina
Many thanks David! Hope you have a lovely weekend. 🙂
David @ Spiced
How did I miss these beautiful burgers last week!? I'm glad I saw this post as I am a serious burger enthusiast! I love Mediterranean flavors, and the addition of Feta and artichokes in here sounds delicious. Good call on the cast iron skillet, too! Like you, a grill is my first choice, but right now our grill is buried under a foot of snow and ice. Cast iron it is!
valentina
Wow, a foot of snow and ice! Guess I won't complain to you about our recent rain in LA. 😉 (I wouldn't complain to anyone actually, we need it!) I don't think I could have a day without my cast iron skillet. Enjoy! 🙂
Unknown
Looks very delicious. Thank you for sharing this tasty Burger recipe. Loved reading your blog.
valentina
Thanks so much! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Yum yum yum! What terrific summer fare! Loving all the flavors you've stuffed into your burgers. Neat idea to use almond meal, too, as a binder. Good stuff -- thanks.
valentina
Thanks, John. I love the colors too. 🙂 ~Valentina
Liz
Oooh, burgers sound terrific! I bet the additions add delicious flavor plus keep the burgers moist. They will be perfect for weekend grilling.
valentina
Thank you, Liz. I love summer weekend grilling! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Beautiful under 30 minutes week dinner! Love the ingredients and love to whip it all up quickly !
valentina
Hi Davorka. Thanks so much. Hope you love them. 🙂 ~Valentina