The Perfect Grain-Free Hamburger Patties

These are the most mouthwatering grain-free hamburger patties that you need to complete your weeknight dinner meals or host outdoor family parties. Use these juicy patties to make a Mediterranean-style burger with your favorite toppings or keep it super healthy and enjoy with a large fresh and tasty salad. Either way, you are going to want to make this recipe your signature (low carb) dish. 

These easy-to-make gourmet-like burgers are incredibly juicy and full of flavors. Filled with smooth Brie cheese and sunflower kernels, you will love the Mediterranean and grain-free twist to the traditional burger.

Keep it low carb

They taste incredible served over a hearty homemade salad—no buns needed. You don't need any bread to enjoy this juicy and well-seasoned burger. A refreshing Mediterranean salad can give you that same satisfaction. And if you'll make the salad as the burgers are sizzling on the stove—while keeping an eye on them—this family dinner is on the table in less than 40 minutes.

These beef burgers also pair well with a creamy kale-apple salad and an avocado pesto to switch it up now and then.

Or make your best healthy-ish burger ever

Nothing is to stop you from turning these non-traditional hamburger patties into delicious sumptuous burgers with your favorite toppings. In that case, sliced red onions, red beefsteak, or Roma tomatoes, and a brush of olive oil sprinkled on the inside of your favorite buns is highly recommended.

An excellent substitute for regular burger buns is my homemade gluten-free biscuits—either with Buckwheat or Teff flour. They are crunchy and firm on the outside, yet deliciously soft inside.

Or serve the beef burgers and the salad with heavenly spiced oven-baked potatoes in case you are planning that backyard family dinner party.

How to make better burger patties on the stove

Although the flavors and ingredients are a bit different from your usual simple burger, it's still a straightforward recipe that easily comes together. But you'll appreciate the Mediterranean touch that makes this recipe incredibly tasty.

Let's talk about a few quick tips to keep in mind when you make this recipe next. It will help with keeping the meat patties from falling apart or turning too dry.

• Choose meat that has at least about 15 to 20 percent fat content and is 80 to 85 percent lean. You need a bit of that natural fat for better flavors and a juicier outcome.
• Keep the meat chilled in the fridge until you are ready to make the hamburger patties. If you form the burgers and are not prepared to immediately cook them on the stove, then keep them refrigerated.
• Chop the cheese in advance before working it into the meat mixture. You want to handle the meat as little as possible to keep everything together.
• The egg and the grounded sunflower kernels not only add extra taste but will also help as a binder.
• I add only one teaspoon of salt to the mixture. The rest of the seasoning is best done when the burgers are sizzling on the stove.
• Try not to flip the burgers until they are done on one side (between 4 to 5 minutes), then flip them over to cook the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes.
• Cook your burgers in good olive oil. It makes all the difference, locks in the moisture, and creates incredible flavors.

What you need

For this recipe, I rely on six simple ingredients that give these patties a creamy and delicious taste:

• a soft and sophisticated cheese like Brie—preferably from grass-fed animals;
• the pleasant aroma of garlic;
• the mild nutty flavor of roasted and ground sunflower kernels;
• the richness of an egg;
• simple seasonings of salt and pepper;
• And of course ground beef.

Substitute for Brie—If you can't find a good quality brie, replace it with one cup of grated hard cheese (like a Parmesan) and add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. These two ingredients work well together in burgers and create a beautiful aroma when cooked in olive oil. 

Additional Recipe Notes

• I make my burgers on the thicker side and usually make about six large or ten smaller meat patties with the given amount of ingredients.
• It is best to divide the mixture equally into either six to 10 pieces.
• While the olive oil warms up over the stove, I roll each piece quickly into a ball.
• Then use the palm of my hands to flatten them into patties before I place them directly in the skillet.
• Don't forget to season and then again on the other side once you have flipped the burger.

What to do with leftovers

You can store cooked burgers in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container. Although you can reheat them quickly in a microwave, I prefer to do so directly in the skillet

• Take the leftover hamburger patties out of the fridge. Place them on the kitchen counter and let them sit for a minute or two at room temperature.
• Reheat a little bit of olive oil (one tablespoon) over medium-low heat in a pan with a lid;
• Place the leftover patties in the warmed skillet;
• Cover the top and let it cook for one to 2 minutes on one side;
• Then flip and cook for another one to two minutes or until sufficiently warmed

Note: these leftover burgers also taste great when served cold, rested for a few minutes at room temperature out of the fridge, chopped, and tossed over a salad.

Make a quick Meditteranean Salad

Seriously, these burgers are so tasty that you can leave out the bread. I prefer to serve them with a large fresh salad, combining the sweetness of romaine lettuce with a few dandelion greens—it will cancel out all its bitterness, yet, you get all the health benefits of this remarkable vegetable.

The salad recipe below adds capers, shallots, extra virgin olive oil and a tad of vinegar or lemon juice to top it off with the right amount of punchiness—voila, the perfect low carb meal!

Recipe variations

Why not add your twist to these burgers? Here are a few ideas that might get your creative cooking juices flowing:

• Try a different type of meat. Turkey comes to mind. But to keep Turkey burgers juicy, mix lean ground Turkey breast with ground thighs and drumsticks that have a fat percentage closer to ground beef. You can ask your butcher to create a great mix, or most "ground Turkey" already contain both dark and white meat (just check the package content.)
• Replace the Brie with Parmesan cheese and add fresh Parsley to make Italian meatballs. Check out my Grandmother's meatball recipe and non-traditional ways to enjoy them.

Now it's time for you to try them out and I hope you will enjoy them as much as we do!

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Yield: 6 SERVINGS (about 6 to 10 patties)

GRAIN-FREE BUNLESS BURGERS WITH BUTTERY BRIE

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These delicious bunless burgers are grain-free, gluten-free yet incredibly juicy and full of flavor—perfect for low carb dinners, or outdoor picnics.

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Ingredients

HOW TO MAKE THE PATTIES:

• 1 1/2 pounds/ 680 grams ground beef
• 4 ounces (110 grams) soft Brie (rind included), cubed
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup roasted and (un)salted sunflower kernels, grounded
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Extra salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE THE SALAD:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
• 6 dandelion leaves, chopped
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• 2 tablespoons small capers
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• Salt

Instructions

MAKE THE PATTIES:

1. Add the ground pork, cheese, garlic, ground kernel seeds, egg and one teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. With your hands, start kneading the mixture until all ingredients are well combined. Break down any bigger pieces of cheese with your fingers and divide the cheese equally into the meat. Try to handle the meat as quickly and as little as possible; set briefly aside.
2. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with one to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat.
3. Divide the meat mixture into six to 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Use the palm of your hands to flatten the balls into patties. Then cook the meat patties for about 5 minutes on both sides or until well browned, and the meat is cooked through.—season with a little salt to taste and pepper.

MAKE THE SALAD:

1. Combine all greens, shallot, and capers in a salad bowl—season with olive oil, vinegar, and salt to taste. Toss the salad to ensure that dressing is evenly distributed.

Notes

• You can ground the sunflower kernels using a small coffee grinder or any blender.
• Chop the cheese into small pieces before mixing it with the meat.
• Try not to overhandle the meat and work as quickly as possible to form hamburger patties.

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