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Homemade burgers made with healthy real food ingredients. If you think you can’t eat burgers when you’re trying to lose weight, think again!
I’ve always loved a burger. There’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into a big juicy meat patty, topped with loads of goodies. So, I’m here to share this recipe with you so that you too can enjoy the odd burger every now and again without feeling bad about it.
SO, WHY ARE BURGERS GENERALLY CONSIDERED UNHEALTHY?
Burgers have got a bad reputation over the years. There are several reasons for this. Some brands (not all) have been known to use poor quality meat because it’s cheaper to do so or, less meat bulking the burger out with processed ingredients to sell more for less. Some burgers have chemical flavour enhancers including MSGs and other additives to achieve a more pleasing texture. And, preservatives to extend the shelf-life of the product.
Here’s an example, picked at random, of the ingredients in the Stateside Diner Quarter Pounder.
Beef (40%), Beef Fat, Water, Onion (10%), Wheat Flour, Pork (5%), Pork Rind, Salt, Soya Protein Isolate, Beef Connective Tissue, Dextrose, Sugar, Maltodextrin (from Wheat), Flavour Enhancer: Monosodium Glutamate, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Flavouring, Black Pepper Extract, Celery Extract, Onion Oil.
Yummy!
This really hits home to me how important it is to read food labels. This burger is only 40% beef, is loaded with fillers, MSGs, chemical flavour enhancers, sugars and texture modifiers. Seriously, why do we need even need sugar in our burgers?!
WHY ARE HOMEMADE BURGERS THE HEALTHIER OPTION?
The ingredients used to make these easy homemade burgers are 100% real food. They have all been selected with taste in mind. I’m talking, juicy, meaty, and super-drool-worthy. Here’s the ingredients list.
- Minced Beef
- Egg
- Tomato Purée
- Garlic Granules
- Onion Granules
- Italian Herbs
- Salt & Pepper
Just look at the difference in the quality of ingredients that are all within your control when it comes to putting together a SIMPLE homemade burger.
I like to use good quality minced beef with 15% fat. Please don’t go to a fat ratio less than that because the fat is essential for the burgers not to fall apart when you cook them. A couple of times, I tried this recipe using a lean 5% fat minced beef, and it just doesn’t work as well.
Tomato purée (paste), garlic & onion granules, Italian herbs and salt & pepper have all been used to bring enormous flavour, with only natural real food ingredients. The egg is in there to help bind everything together.
BATCH COOK HOMEMADE BURGERS FOR THE FREEZER
Prepackaged burgers are commonly referred to as convenience foods. And, convenience often trumps meal prep when you lead a busy life. I get it. All you have to do is grab a couple of pre-prepared burgers out of the freezer, cook them up, and you’ll have dinner on the table in 10-15 minutes.
So, with that in mind, this recipe needs just 10 minutes of prep work to create a batch of 8 burgers and load your freezer full of burgers, ready for when you need them. That’s 10 minutes of real food preparation for 8 portions of healthy, homemade convenience food.
Wanna make ’em? Cool, let’s go!
HOW DO YOU MAKE HOMEMADE BURGERS WITH ITALIAN HERBS?
Check out the below step-by-step instructions, or scroll down to find the printable recipe card.
STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prepare your ingredients and get your equipment ready.
Step 2: Into a medium-sized bowl, add the minced beef, tomato purée, egg, Italian herbs, garlic granules, onion granules, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Combine your ingredients with a spoon or your hands, until combined.
Now, roughly divide your mixture into 8, and mould into round burger patties.
Step 4: To cook, heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and fry for 5-6 minutes on each side. The burgers should be beautifully brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
Step 5: Today, I have cooked two of the burgers, so I’ll be freezing six.
To freeze, you’ll want to first put your raw burgers onto a tray covered with baking paper and pop them in the freezer for 1-2 hours until partially frozen. That way they won’t stick together when you put them into a freezer bag.
Step 6: After a couple of hours in the freezer, pop the burgers into a freezer bag.
Step 7: Put your burgers into the freezer for quick and easy future meals.
Homemade Burgers with Italian Herbs
Equipment
- Measuring Spoons
- Medium Bowl
- Spatula
- Skillet (for Frying Pan)
- Tray, Baking Paper, Freezer Bag (if freezing a batch)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Minced Beef
- 2 tbsps Tomato Purée
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
- 1 tsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Onion Granules
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients and get your equipment ready.
- Into a medium-sized bowl, add the minced beef, tomato purée, egg, Italian herbs, garlic granules, onion granules, salt and pepper.
- Combine your ingredients with a spoon or your hands, until combined. Now, roughly divide your mixture into 8, and mould into round burger patties.
- To cook, heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and fry for 5-6 minutes on each side. The burgers should be beautifully brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
- To freeze leftover burger patties, you'll want to first put your raw burgers onto a tray covered with baking paper. Then pop them in the freezer for 1-2 hours until partially frozen. That way they won't stick together when you put them into a freezer bag. After a couple of hours in the freezer, pop the burgers into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
I LOVE this recipe and I hope you will too!
And, if you do get the chance to give this Homemade Burger with Italian Herbs recipe a try, I’d love for you to drop me a note in the comment section and provide star rating.
Thank you so much for reading.
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