Greek beef burger patties are filled with Mediterranean flavors, stuffed with feta cheese, and topped with a smear of tzatziki. These burgers are the perfect weeknight meal because they cook in under 10 minutes on the grill.
I'm a big fan of making burgers for weeknight meals. Greek burger patties are easy to prepare ahead of time, and they cook on the grill in under 10 minutes. They are perfect for a busy weeknight when you need dinner on the table quickly!
These burgers are unique because they are filled with Mediterranean flavors like roasted red peppers, oregano, lemon, and garlic. Then, the middle of the burger is stuffed with crumbled feta cheese.
Next time you're looking for a delicious, juicy burger, you have to try these Greek burgers! Serve with a side of French fries, potato chips, or a big green salad for a meal the whole family will love.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
You are going to learn some life-changing tips to improve your grilling skills by making this recipe including:
- How to prevent burgers from puffing up on the grill.
- The best way to check that your burgers are perfectly cooked.
- An important tip to note if you want to make your burger patties ahead of time.
If you enjoy learning tricks like these to step up your game in the kitchen, be sure to sign up for my free 5-day email series all about becoming a better home chef.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the burger ingredients you'll need:
- Ground beef: I prefer using 80% lean beef. However, you could also use ground turkey, chicken, or lamb.
- Red onion: Be sure to finely dice the red onion so there aren't any large chunks in the burger. A good chef's knife is super important for knife cuts like this.
- Roasted red bell peppers: I love the colorful flecks the red peppers provide throughout the burger. In a pinch, you could use raw red bell pepper instead of roasted peppers.
- Garlic: Freshly minced cloves or jarred garlic will work.
- Lemon juice and freshly grated peel: The juice and lemon zest add the perfect acidic bite to this recipe.
- Dried oregano: A very popular spice in Mediterranean cooking.
- Crushed red pepper: This will add some heat to the dish. Feel free to adjust the level of red pepper flakes according to personal taste.
- Salt and black pepper: You will never have the best burgers without salt and pepper to season the beef patties. Don't skip this ingredient if you want great flavor!
- Feta cheese: Tangy feta cheese is imperative to these burgers! Purchase a feta block stored in the brine for the best quality cheese.
- Hamburger buns: Brioche buns are a fan favorite at our house, but use what is available to you. It's important to toast the burger buns (you can do this on the grill or in a toaster) before serving.
- Burger toppings: We're adding additional flavor to the feta burger through the toppings. I like to add thinly sliced cucumbers, red onion, lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki.
How To Make This Recipe
Stuffed feta burgers come together really easily. Here are the steps you'll need to follow:
1. To a mixing bowl combine ground beef, onion, roasted red bell pepper, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
2. Mix everything together with your hands until well combined. Be sure to remove any rings or jewelry you may have on before mixing. And of course, always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat.
3. In order to have burgers that all cook at the same time, it's important to weigh out the beef on a digital scale. You should be able to make seven patties weighing about 5.5 ounces (155 grams) each.
4. Next, it's time to add 1 ounce of feta cheese to the middle of each patty. This takes a little patience, but it's so worth it.
Fold the patty around the cheese, then flatten the patties until they're about ¾ inch thick.
5. One of my favorite ways to prevent burgers from puffing up while cooking is to make a depression in the center of the patties using your thumb. This will help the burgers stay in the proper shape to fit nicely on your bun.
Then, liberally season each side of the patties with salt and pepper. The burgers will be warm at this point from handling them, so allow the patties to sit in the refrigerator until they're firmed up and are cold to the touch.
If the burgers are too warm when they go on the grill, they will fall apart during the cooking process.
6. Preheat a gas grill to high heat (500°F). The burgers will cook for about 3 - 5 minutes on each side over direct heat.
Finally, serve the stuffed feta burgers on a toasted bun smeared with tzatziki sauce. Don't forget to layer with some lettuce, sliced cucumbers, onions, and tomato.
Tips For Grilling The Perfect Burger
There are some industry secrets that you should know to make perfectly delicious and juicy burgers. Not only will it taste good, but the burger will also be picture-perfect!
- Salt your burgers right before they go on the grill. Experts suggest that salt will dissolve the muscle proteins in the beef. This, in turn, will prevent your burgers from being moist and tender. Salting right before the patties cook will ensure this doesn't happen!
- Liberally salt your burgers. Salt is an important ingredient in almost every recipe, including these beef burgers. Salt and freshly ground pepper really aid in the final flavor, so don't skimp on these seasonings!
- Always use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the burgers. This will ensure you get properly cooked burgers every single time! I prefer my burgers to be cooked between 145°F - 150°F.
- Make sure your grill is heated to a high temperature (450°F - 500°F). Remember, the outside temperature will affect the cooking time of your burgers. Ideally, the best temperature for grilling is around 65°F - 70°F.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can absolutely substitute ground beef for ground turkey or chicken. You could also use ground lamb.
I always test my burgers with a meat thermometer to ensure they are properly cooked through. Depending on how you like your burgers, you can cook them to the following temperatures:
Medium-Rare: 135°F (57°C)
Medium: 145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well: 150°F (66°C)
Well-Done: 160°F (71°C)
Yes, the burger patties can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you're ready to grill. Avoid seasoning the outside of the burgers with salt and pepper ahead of time. Instead, season right before grilling.
An easy solution is to make a depression in the center of the patties using your thumb. This prevents the patties from puffing up during the cooking process.
More Burger Recipes
If you enjoyed this Mediterranean burger, try these other burger recipes:
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Greek Stuffed Feta Burgers With Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef 80% lean
- ½ medium red onion finely diced (about ¾ cups)
- ⅓ cup roasted red bell peppers finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 7 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- salt and pepper
- 7 hamburger buns for serving
- tzatziki sauce for serving
- butter lettuce for serving
- thinly sliced tomato for serving
- thinly sliced cucumbers for serving
- thinly sliced red onion for serving
Instructions
- Add ground beef, onion, roasted red bell pepper, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, oregano, and crushed red pepper to a large bowl. Mix everything with your hands until combined.
- Divide the ground beef mixture into seven 5.5-ounce patties. Add 1 ounce of feta cheese to the middle of each patty. Fold the patty around the cheese, then flatten patties to ¾ inch thick. Make a depression in the center of the patties using your thumb to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill during the cooking process. Season each side of the patties with salt and pepper, as desired. Place burgers in the refrigerator until firmed up and cold to the touch.
- Preheat a gas grill to high heat (500°F).
- Cook burgers covered over direct heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F (medium-well).
- To serve, toast hamburger buns. Spread a generous amount of tzatziki sauce on the top and bottom buns. Layer lettuce, a burger patty, tomato, sliced cucumbers, and onions on the bottom bun. Top with the remaining half of the bun and serve immediately.
Angela
Really enjoyed these burgers! We made them for a Greek themed dinner party and they were a hit! Super juicy, delicious, and easy to make.
Margaret Chism
These are Greek burgers so I was wondering why you didn't use ground lamb?
Jessica Mode
Hey Margaret! Great question! I chose ground beef since it's more accessible and easy to find for more people. However, the ground lamb would also taste super delicious 🙂
Maureen
Sounds delicious. Can't wait to make it for the family.