It’s not really summer if you haven’t thrown at least one burger on the BBQ. But I have a confession to make – I’m not typically a burger fan. There are just so many more interesting dishes I’d rather eat. But that’s before I discovered how to make a really good burger. The secret? Make the old standby interesting with fresh flavors, nontraditional ingredients (hello vegetables) and a great supporting cast of side dishes.

This summer I’ve added the best burger recipe to my arsenal thanks to these Spiced Beef Burgers with Grated Carrot & Tahini Yogurt. I promise you, this is a must-try recipe.

This also happens to be another dish I learned from my Martha and Marely Spoon meal box. I’ve always been a little hesitant to make homemade burgers – they always seem like a ton of work, but this recipe definitely makes the effort worth it. The flavor on these burgers is turned up a notch with a Baharat spice mix – it’s a Middle Eastern blend of cumin, allspice, black pepper and nutmeg. But what I really loved was the homemade tahini yoghurt with fresh parsley and garlic as an alternative to traditional condiments. Mustard and ketchup are so blah (and usually crammed with a ton of chemical crap). The yogurt dressing is nice and light, refreshing and super flavorful.

Now, I know burgers may not fall on the tippy top of the healthy summer recipe spectrum, but I enjoy a good indulgence now and then. You could even paleo out these burgers by skipping the bun and using the Boston lettuce as your wrap.

Whether you choose to embrace the carbs or not, you’re going to want to try these bad boys before we bid summer adieu (I just used adieu in yesterday’s post – a word I never use…what’s up with that…but I digress). Onto the recipe!

Spiced Beef Burgers with Grated Carrot & Tahini Yogurt
serves 2

Ingredients
3/4 oz fresh parsley
2 oz carrot
1 large clove garlic
1 lemon
12 oz ground beef
1 1/2 tsp baharat spice mix
7 oz 2% Greek yogurt
2 T tahini
1 head Boston lettuce
2 brioche hamburger buns
course salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Directions

Prep your ingredients by picking parsley leaves from the stem & finely chop. Wash your carrot and grate on the large holes of a box grater. Peel and finely chop garlic and juice the lemon

To make the burgers combine the ground beef, baharat, half the chopped parsely, 1t of salt and 1/4t of freshly ground pepper in medium bowl and mix until combined. Shape mixture into two patties about 4in wide and 3/4in thick. Refrigerate to firm up while you prepare the tahini yogurt.

Pre-heat your grill (or grill pan) over media-high. Combine yogurt, tahini, garlic, remaining parsley, 1T of lemon juice and 2T of olive oil in a media bowl – season with salt and pepper

Grill your burgers, turning once until lightly charred 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare.

To make your Boston lettuce salad whisk the remaining lemon juice, and 2T olive oil in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper. Remove core from the lettuce and separate leaves. Reserve 2-3 for burgers. Add remaining leaves to bowl and toss to coat.

To finish your burgers, split buns and lightly toast on the grill (or grill pan or skillet) until golden 1-2 minutes. Assemble burgers on buns with lettuce, grated carrot and a dollop of tahini yogurt. Serve with salad and remaining yogurt on the side.

This dish is perfect for a Saturday afternoon, a weeknight dinner or to impress at your next summer party. I would pair it with this great summer drink (or this one) and maybe make this and this as additional sides. And this would be the perfect healthy dessert to top everything off nicely.

No matter when and how you serve them, I guarantee you’ll enjoy this fancied up burger!

Happy cooking (and eating!).