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Silver plate topped with a pesto beef burger with tomato sauce, lettuce, crispy bacon, beef patty, melted cheese, basil pesto and a gooey fried egg served with a beer
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Pesto Beef Burger

Italian-inspired Pesto Beef Burger with homemade basil pesto and smoky tomato sauce, a juicy beef patty, crispy bacon, oozing melted mozzarella–cheddar cheese, and a gooey fried egg
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 brioche burger bun
  • 150g high-quality minced beef
  • 1 tsp dried onion powder
  • 3 rashers streaky bacon
  • 2 heaped tbsp The Best Basil Pesto Recipe (click here),
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Large handful of 50/50 grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese mix
  • 1 egg

Smokey Tomato Sauce

  • 100g tinned tomatoes
  • 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Squeeze lemon juice
  • Sea salt flakes
  • Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

  • To make the tomato sauce: heat a splash of olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the garlic powder, smoked paprika and chilli flakes, stirring for about 10 seconds, then add the tinned tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes have softened, crushing any large pieces with a fork to make a thick sauce. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice, then set aside.
  • Beef patty: Season the beef mince with onion powder, salt, and pepper, then form it into a patty the same size as your bun.
  • Clean the frying pan used to make the smoky tomato sauce. Reheat it with a little oil and fry the beef patty until browned. Flip, press down gently with the back of a spatula to flatten slightly, then top with a grated mozzarella–cheddar cheese mix. Cover with a lid and allow the cheese to melt over the patty.
  • Heat a separate frying pan with a little oil and fry the bacon until crispy. Once done, remove the bacon and use the rendered bacon fat to toast the insides of both brioche bun halves in the same pan.
  • Back to the beef patty: once cooked, remove the patty from the pan. Add a little more oil and, when hot, crack in an egg and fry until crispy around the edges. Do not flip. Season with salt.
  • To assemble the burger: spread the bottom bun with smoky tomato sauce, then top with lettuce, crispy bacon, the beef and cheese patty, sliced red onion, basil pesto, and the fried egg. Finish with the remaining bun.

Notes

  1. Shop-bought basil pesto can be substituted if needed
  2. Add chilli to the smokey chilli sauce if you like a kick of heat