This Italian-style recipe takes an unadulterated burger patty and tops it with mozzarella cheese, a fresh basil sauce, roasted grape tomatoes and red onion. Bursting with freshness, it’s incredibly juicy and delicious. The burger and tomato juices mingle with the basil sauce and make it kind of messy. Just the way I like them. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.
The original recipe calls for fresh tomatoes but as far as flavor goes a roasted tomato can’t compete. Especially a grape tomato that you can roast whole and keep the juices intact. A quick 20 minute roast transformed them into concentrated little flavor gems that popped open in my mouth in a rush of sweet and savory juices.
The basil sauce is rich and creamy with a hint of sweetness followed by a hit of pungency. It starts with a base of mayonnaise to which sour cream, fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese are added. It worked double-duty as a dipping sauce for the oven-fried zucchini chips I served with them.
If you’re looking to hold onto the fresh flavors of summer just a little bit longer, the way I am, then this is the way to go. Packed with typical Italian flavors this was a truly memorable burger that I look forward to making…and eating again!
Basil and Roasted Tomato Burgers
(adapted from Melissa D’Arabian)
1 pint grape tomatoes or about 1+1/2 – 2 cups
olive oil
sea or kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 + 1/4 pounds ground beef (80-85% lean)
1 + 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 hamburger buns, toasted
1/4 cup red onion, diced
Basil sauce (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 pan and add grape tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Use you hands to massage the oil into the tomatoes. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tomatoes begin to ‘deflate’ and wrinkle up.
2. Divide the ground beef evenly into 4 patties, make a small indent in the middle of each and season with salt and pepper. Cook the burger in whatever way desired, topping each one with 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese.
3. Top each bun with a burger, then a spoon or two of basil sauce followed by roasted tomatoes and diced onion. Serve with additional basil sauce on the side for dipping.
Basil Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons fresh basil, rough chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
sea or kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except salt and pepper, puree until creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
I’m linking this to Heather of Girlichef’s Hearth ‘n Soul event.
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I can imagine the taste of this burgers. Oh my! The basil sauce, the roasted tomatoes made tht makes my world go round!! Thanks for posting.. I'll be trying it soon.And thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Looking forward to seeing u around 😉
Fantastic! Puts my plain old burgers to shame! Gotta rethink the whole thing. Luscious!
Hi Reeni and thanks for sharing on the hearth and soul hop this week. Your burgers look finger licking good. I just noticed that you are participating in the foodbuzz contest so I added your blog to my link love post, thoughts on friday at a moderate life because I am promoting all my friends in the contest! best of luck! 🙂 Alex@amoderatelife
Yum! Looks so good :)!
I think I could enjoy a burger like this.Mimi
Yes! Another person that is not trying to force fall to come faster with food!! Love this delicious summery recipe!
Reeni- My goodness do you ever know how to take a burger picture. That there is art, and I want to eat it, right now! Thanks for linking up with the Hearth and Soul hop this week.
Note to self – do not visit here when hungry! Dang that burger looks amazing and the sauce – wow! Thanks for linking to hearth and soul!
So delicious and flavorful with basil and those wonderful roasted tomatoes!
I love how juicy your burger looks. A great switch from the usual–and the basil sauce sounds to die for!
What a gorgeous burger–I love them when they are messy! 😉
I am drooling Reeni! Love everything and your creamy basil sauceeccellente!
*Drool* Why is it everytime I read your posts, I always end up drooling all over myself. Seriously. Basil…tomato…two things I love.
I've already eaten but this burger looks totally delicious. NOM! I love the roasted tomatoes – I've never roasted my tomatoes for a burger, but I feel like it'd be totally delicious.Good luck in Project Food Blog, lovely girl! You've had my vote already ;)Jax x
That looks amazing. Drool.
Roasted tomatoes and mozz. over a burger…veggie burger (for me), Yummy! This, as do all of your dishes, looks super delicious! =)
This burger is the MOST gorgeous burger I have seen in a long time. This is an award-winning recipe for sure.
Reeni, you should have put an R-rating on these pictures!!! They are making me drool all over my keyboard. I love Bobby Flay burgers but this one makes my heart swoon!!! I should seriously just create a folder dedicated to all of your recipes I want to try out and this one will have to be at the top of the list :o)
The roasted tomatoes gives is a nice touch.
Ummmmm can you send me one of these right now??? I'm starving and could totally go for a delicious burger!
The messier the burger is the more I love it. I include this in my pile with recipes to try immediately.
The basil sauce made me melt. I am indeed looking to hold on to summer while I may. This is the best start.
That basil sauce sounds fantastic. I imagine it would be just as good on chicken, too. YUM!!
Now THAT's a burger!! The burgers I make seem to look so puny! These look and sound amazing, thanks!! That sauce looks great and I can so see the zucchini chips working great for them. Brings a whole new meaning to burger and fries!
I never really think to pair basil with beef. But really, why not? this is almost like a caprese-style burger! And who can argue with THAT.I voted for you chica!
YUM YUM, can i have one please..
this looks amazing- I'm going to have to try that basil sauce!
Wow, that is a great looking burger, the sauce sounds delicious. Thanks.
Hey no fair, I thought the burger challenge thingy was over for the year (ha ha).Great looking burger Reeni. I'll hit you for a vote in the food blog contest. Good luck! (I didn't enter.)
Those are absolutely mouth-watering! I just wish I had some basil left…
Oh my…my mouth is watering! Just found a new burger to add to the rotation. Thanks!
yumm., look at all that cheese.
Now that's a real burger! Love the basil sauce atop roasted tomatoes, yum!
that looks absolutely fantastic!! love it 🙂 and i voted for you!
Your burger looks finger licking good! I'm bookmarking your delicious basil sauce too! Thanks for sharing!
That creamy basil sauce sounds like something I could find a million uses for! What a great burger, Reeni!
This is one heck of a burger. Wow.
You always pick great recipes, Reeni! Basil burgers with roasted tomatoes makes me lick my lips! They sound so juicy and delicious:)I'm off to vote for you! Best of luck.
I can only imagine what it is like to bite into the burger and get a burst of warm roasted tomato. This looks like the perfect burger.
Messy burgers are the best! This one looks so tasty and filling! I'm going to go vote for you…Hugs to Moon!
OMG, is this heaven or what… Oh how I need one of these.
Geez, you described that perectly! I so want that burger!
Your burger sounds so lovely, especially with the basil sauce. And dipping oven fried zucchini chips in it as well – yum!!
Oh my that is a big burger! It looks outstanding!
One for lunch and one for dinner, please!
This hambuerger is so tempting dear that I'm mouthwatering! I love roasted tomatoes. Bye, have a nice day
absolutely tempting…
Yessss please! This looks outstanding!
Anything with roasted tomatoes makes me smile. I imagine that the addition of the basil, tomatoes and cheese made this burger spectacular…as it is a classic combination that always wins points in my book! Thank you for sharing this dish with us.
you are the queen of burgers amazing looking every one of them!
Basil burgers with roasted tomatoes sounds delicious. Looks really good.
Looks gorgeous!
Wow this looks amazing! It looks like I am definitely going to have to make a burger soon!
love your basil sauce, fantastic!
I'm soooo hungry now!
That looks SO good!! I have got to stop coming here when I'm hungry :)I'm on my way to vote for you.
Sounds incredible! Basil and tomatoes are part of my staple diet in the summertime.
delicious looking burger.I think I voted for you using my facebook but I'm not sure, I'm easily confuse…lol
So good! Love that burger. I voted for you on foodbuzz, if you have ny votes left send them my way 🙂
Those roasted tomatoes look like they would be the perfect touch to any sandwich.
Reeni, as a burger-aholic, these look fabulous. I know I would just love that creamy basil sauce and like you I'd be using it as a dip for my fries or veggies or whatever. Another one of your recipes I'm bookmarking. Thanks!
mmmm…I could use some of my heirlooms that I just slow-roasted and the last of my basil…this sounds like an addicting burger, to say the least. Thanks for sharing w/ the hns hop this week, Reeni =)
Sitting my desk and drooling!!! We're having burgers tonight, so you've given me some inspiration!