Today’s Israeli style burgers recipe came to me as I thought about how to combine all the flavors my husband loves in a non-traditional way. Last night he mentioned he wanted k’tzitzot (meat balls) in a pita with tahini for dinner tomorrow and naturally I was bored of making things the regular way so I thought why not make Israeli style meatballs into burgers instead, and use the tahini as a burger sauce? Best. Idea. Yet.
I thought of all the elements that make up a classic burger and how I can twist them to utilize bold Israeli flavors instead. So, the bun became a za’atar spiced bun. The burger itself I flavored with cumin, paprika, onions, garlic, parsley and pine nuts, (like they do at Israeli barbecues). I added crispy fried onions as a topping because I know the key to my husband’s heart <3 …And, instead of ketchup, mayo or mustard, I made a spicy green chili and parsley flavored tahini sauce. (and yes, you’ll probably want to put this sauce on everything from now on.)
So, if you’re looking for a unique burger recipe that’s sure to impress the entire family (especially the meat lovers) this Israeli style burgers recipe is the one for you!
Disclaimer: I only say Israeli-style because I live in Israel and these flavor combinations are very common here, but I do know that the spices and ingredients mentioned come from all over the Middle-East 🙂
- 1kg ground beef
- 2 large onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1½ cups fresh chopped parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons white flour
- 1 teaspoon green chili or jalapeno
- 1 cup raw tahini paste
- 3 ice cubes
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 6 hamburger buns
- 1 cup lettuce
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- 4 canned pickles sliced
- 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning
- Add 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic to a food processor and pulse until smooth/liquid texture. Add the onion/garlic paste to the ground beef, along with the cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 cup chopped parsley, and pine nuts. Mix to incorporate and set aside.
- For the tahini, add the tahini paste, ice cubes, 1 clove garlic, green chili, lemon juice, ½ cup chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and ¼ cup of cold water to a blender. Pulse until smoothly incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon of water as needed to get the required creamy consistency.
- Thinly slice the other onion into rings or half rings and put in a bowl with white flour. Mix until the onion rings are coated well and no longer wet.
- To fry the onion topping, heat a small skillet with canola oil on high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add in the floured onions and deep fry for 5 minutes until crispy. Remove from skillet and set aside on paper towels that absorb the excess oil.
- Heat a large grill pan on high heat with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Once hot, form the beef mixture into large patties, making sure to make an indent in the middle. Grill the patties for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until your desired doneness.
- Drizzle olive oil over the buns and dust with za'atar seasoning. Toast the buns on the grill pan or in the oven.
- To assemble the burgers, add tahini sauce, then the burger patties, lettuce, tomato, pickles, crispy onions, and more tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Wonderful, superb.