Try something new on the grill this summer - Go Greek! These greek burgers are a fun and refreshing twist on the classic grilled burger. The tzatziki sauce and feta cheese help keep the flavor profile cool and the grilled naan bread is just an amazing addition.
Greek Burgers
Greek Burgers with Feta, Tzatziki, Tomatoes, and Grilled Naan Bread
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dinner
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Servings
4
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Seasoned patties, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, tomatoes and butter lettuce go perfectly on grilled Za'atar spiced naan bread. This is really all you need, but some fun optional toppings can be sliced avocado or pitted and halved Castleveltrano olives. The secret is the home-made tzatiki sauce. Don't be afraid - it's really easy and so good you won't want to go back to store bought ever again.
Author:Greg Neruda
Ingredients
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1 lb ground beef, or ground beef/ground lamb mixture
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~2 tsp Starlight Herbs Fennel Fusion
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2 Cups Greek yogurt (5% milk fat)
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3 TBS fresh chopped dill
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Zest of 1 lemon
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Juice of 1 lemon
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1 small fresh garlic clove, outer sheath peeled and clove sliced in chunks
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1 TBS Greek Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive oil
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1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
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1/2 English cucumber, quartered and sliced thin
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Generous amount of kosher salt
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Crumbled Feta cheese
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Thinly sliced tomato rounds
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Tzatziki
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Butter Lettuce
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Sliced Avocado - optional
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Castleveltrano olives - optional
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Drizzle of 25 Star Balsamic Vinegar
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4 naan/pita rounds
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2 TBS Greek Kalamata EVOO
Burger Patties
Tzatziki Sauce
Toppings
"Buns"
Directions
Make the tzatziki
Place a large strainer over a bowl. Dump the sliced cucumber in the strainer and generously coat with the salt. Let sit for at least 20-30 minutes to strain the excess water. In a small food processor, place the dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Pulse a couple times to loosely mix. After 30 minutes of the cucumbers straining, squeeze the excess water out of them and then add them to the dill mixture. Pulse until it resembles a chunky salsa or gremolata, about 30 seconds to a minute. Place the greek yogurt in a medium size mixing bowl. Stir in the dill and cucumber mixture. Wait at least 20-30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Transfer to a glass storage sealed container and this tzatziki sauce will keep for up to one week in the fridge, if it lasts that long!
Grillin' Burgers
- Heat grill to 400º-450ºF. Mix the olive oil and za’atar seasoning together. Prep all the fixings you want. Slice pita rounds into wedges. I like naan bread a little better than pita, so that is what we used in the picture. Naan is softer and chewier overall and not as coarse and tearable as some commercial brands of pita.
- Mix seasoning into ground meat and form into patties. When is grill is hot, place patties on grill and grill for desired amount of time. For medium rare burgers cook about 2.5-3 minutes per side. Medium burgers about 4 minutes per side. Well done cook about 5 minutes per side. On the upper tier of the frill, or the other side of the burgers, place the pita/naan wedges on the heat. Brush with the olive oil and za’atar mix. Grill the bread just until warm with the underside slightly golden. Place all the toppings on the table for your guests to assemble their own perfect burger. Serve each patty with two slices of bread - but make sure to have extra prepped - grilled naan can be addicting!