Greek Burgers with Spinach, Feta, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
For burger patties:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves chopped
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For buns and toppings:
- 4 whole-wheat sandwich buns
- 1 ounce fresh spinach leaves
- 1 to mato sliced
- 1 small shallot sliced
- 1/4 cup tzatziki sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine and mix together all burger patty ingredients in a bowl.
- Form into 4 patties. Refrigerate patties for at least 1 hour to harden.
- Heat a pan over medium heat, or use a grill. Working in batches, drizzle the inside faces of the buns with a bit of cooking oil and place them face down on the pan. Cook until toasted, a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Increase to medium-high heat or keep at medium heat to lessen the amount of smoke (it will just take longer to cook). Drizzle cooking oil over the pan. Working in batches, cook the patties until charred on both sides and the internal temperature reaches 160 F, flipping occasionally. Add more oil if the pan gets dry.
- Assemble the burgers by distributing the meat and toppings among the buns. Serve hot.
These Greek burgers plus my Hawaiian steak kabobs have made their way to the top of my summertime grilling wish list. Whether you prefer to grill your burgers, bake them, or pan sear them, these Greek burgers will be sure to satisfy your burger cravings and you will love all of the flavors and textures going on here. Most prominent are the sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese, followed by the spinach and tzatziki sauce. It is such a killer flavor combination.
I’ve been wanting to make a Mediterranean-inspired burger ever since Mr. Savory Tooth and I were having lunch with my parents at a cozy Greek place last December, when he ordered a spinach and feta burger topped with crispy fried onions on a brioche bun. I remember taking a photo of it and thinking to myself, I have got to make this.
I love looking at all of the colors of the fresh ingredients coming together to form the burger patty. This might look like a lot of spinach, but it’s not, as the spinach will shrink when it cooks. I recommend finely chopping up the spinach so that the patties are easier to form and keep together. This recipe yields four big patties, which you can mix and form ahead of time. They should be refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them, and refrigeration also helps harden them so that they don’t fall apart when cooking.
While all of the burger patty ingredients are non-negotiable here, the burger buns and toppings are where you can get creative and do your own thing. I like giving my burger patty a bed of baby spinach to lie on, drizzled with tzatziki sauce, and topped with some sliced onions and a tomato slice. But I know that’s not going to fly with everyone else (for one, Mr. Savory Tooth is weirdly not a fan of tzatziki sauce), so you can jazz up these Greek burgers however you like.
Greek burgers can be served with so many scrumptious side dishes. Let’s go through my top three:
- Greek salad. Yes, yes, and yes. This Greek salad even comes with a creamy avocado dressing. Or try a Mediterranean chopped salad.
- Greek fries. Who else thinks that Greek fries are the best fries?
- Greek dips. I’m talking about those dips with multiple layers in them.
O. M. G. This is amazing! I used a “Mediterranean” Feta and I withheld the shallots (not a fan of raw shallots)… and it tasted AMAZING! I think maybe adding onions into the burger patty would be good! I will try that next time. Next time may be tomorrow.. haha! Thank you for posting this recipe!
Haha I’m so glad you loved the recipe!! I’ll have to try Mediterranean Feta sometime… that sounds so delicious 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
I make this and use chopped red onion. And 1 tsp. Of Greek seasoning from Penzeys and 1 clove of garlic pressed. I serve it with cucumber salad and greek salad dressing I get from a restaurant called Tazikis.
This is my absolute favorite burger. My grand-daughter ask me to make it but to use ground turkey, not my first choice because of the dryness of the meat. I added some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to help with the dryness and they were wonderful. Will make again and try the ground beef. Thank you.
Hi Wanda! I’m so happy to hear that you love these burgers 🙂 Using turkey sounds like a great idea 👍
Hi! Can you make these using frozen spinach?
Hi Sarah! Yes, I think using frozen spinach is fine. It would be best if you can thaw it out and squeeze dry before using in these burgers.
What type of cheese is melted over your burgers?
There’s feta cheese used to make burger patties, but there isn’t any cheese melted over them. You’re probably referring to the white sauce over the burgers — that’s tzatziki sauce, not melted cheese.
When you said you decided to make this after your husband ordered a spinach and feta burger topped crispy fried onions on a brioche bun, I realized, that is possible the only thing that could make this recipe even better than it already is. My husband has made these multiple times and the WHOLE family loves them, even my most picky 3 year old. We do hold off on the shallots, but I think fried onions would be the perfect topping to add next time we make them. Although I am not sure how much better than can get. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
How crucial is the egg to the burger mix?
The egg acts as a binder, which helps the burgers keep their shape before and after cooking. If you can’t use egg, you can try using egg substitutes like “flax egg” (1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp hot water).
I’m planning on making these soon but with ground turkey. Question: do I need to add anything to it to make it stick together since I’m using ground turkey? Like maybe bread crumbs?
I don’t think so. Should be fine substituting with ground turkey.
Did I miss the calories or if you can help me with that I’d appreciate it. Thank you.
Calories are listed right above the Ingredients section in the recipe box.
Can they be cooked on the bbq?
Yes, you can definitely grill it! The same way you would do for any burger on your grill.
Do you think this would work as a “meatloaf” (really lamb loaf) instead of burgers?
That might work. For meatloaf, I usually use meat that’s more fatty, otherwise I end up with dry tasting meatloaf. If you’re using lamb that’s pretty lean, dryness may be an issue.
I just made these tonight for dinner. We left out the sun-dried tomatoes because my husband doesn’t like them. Instead of buns we used small pita pockets. I spread the tzatziki inside with chopped tomatoes. They were a huge hit and will definitely be on our menu again.
Yum!! That sounds incredibly delicious. 🙂
Can I freeze these prior to cooking?
Hi Tamara! I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tried freezing them myself so I can’t say for sure.
How do you make the tzatziki sauce?
Hi Alison! I usually buy tzatziki sauce at the store. My favorite is Trader Joe’s tzatziki sauce, which you can find in their refrigerated section. You can make it yourself, but it’s a lot of work… you need to grate cucumber and strain it, then mix with yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, and let it sit overnight. You also have to be careful that you get rid of excess juice so the sauce isn’t watery the next day.
It is so funny you say that making your own tzaziki is a lot of work 🙂 It is the easiest thing in the world – and it doesn’t have to sit overnight. Just my opinion 😉
Have you every made this recipe in meatballs? Thank you!
Hi Eileen! I haven’t, but that would be a fantastic idea 🙂
Just made these, delicious!! The only thing is, I forgot to get sun dried tomatoes so made them without. We will definitely make this recipe often throughout summer! Thank you for posting!
Hi hoping to make these tonight can they b grilled?
Absolutely. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi, making these for dinner and wondered could I cook them in the oven
That should work, maybe 20 minutes at 350 F and turning halfway. Make sure it’s at least 160 F in the center.
These were fabulous! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef.
Can’t wait to make these! Do you use dried sundried tomatoes or the ones in oil from a jar?
Hi Jenna! Thanks for asking — I use the dried kind, not the ones in oil. Hope that helps 🙂
Hi!
We made these tonight BUT we used lightly grilled sweet onions, the spinach, and fresh mozzarella for the toppings. They were amazing! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Those toppings sound amazing 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Hello!
I am making these burgers tonight and I was wondering what other toppings might work well with it. My boyfriend is not a huge fan of tzatkiki and I wasn’t sure what other flavors might work. Thanks!
Hi Alexis! My husband is actually not a big fan of tzatziki sauce either, but he loved these burgers with them. You could try replacing it with an avocado spread, hummus, or Greek yogurt. Basically, use some kind of spread so that the burgers don’t taste too dry without tzatziki sauce. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Spotted these today cooking them for my wife this evening…. fingers crossed
Hi Malcolm! Hope you and your wife love the burgers! 🙂