Summary:
These flavor-packed Greek burgers are made using ground beef mixed with fresh spinach, feta cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. After grilling or pan-searing the burgers, they're drizzled with tzatziki sauce and served with fresh toppings on a toasted bun.
INGREDIENTS
Burger Patties:
- 1 pound ground beef (Note 1)
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup
chopped sun-dried tomatoes (Note 2) - 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make Burger Patties: Combine and mix together all burger patty ingredients in large bowl. Form into 4 patties, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to harden.
- Toast Buns: Heat pan over medium heat, or use grill. Working in batches, drizzle inside faces of buns with cooking oil and place face down on pan. Cook until toasted, a few minutes. Transfer to serving plate.
- Cook Burger Patties: Increase to medium-high heat or keep at medium heat to lessen amount of smoke (it will just take longer to cook). Drizzle cooking oil over pan. Working in batches, cook patties until charred on both sides and internal temperature reaches 160 F, flipping occasionally. Add more oil if pan gets dry.
- Serve: Assemble burgers by distributing patties and toppings among buns. Serve hot.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (1 burger patty; Note 5): |
| Calories 350 (54% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 21g | 32% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 43% |
| Cholesterol 159mg | 53% |
| Sodium 570mg | 24% |
| Net Carb 3g | |
| Total Carb 4.5g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 5% |
| Sugars 2.5g | |
| Protein 35g |
PHOTOS
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!
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! 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.
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?
Have you ever 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!
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!