Fire up the grill for Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta. Decadent tasting and delicious!
Looking to sizzle up something new and exciting on the grill this weekend?
Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta are just the thing!
Honestly, lamb isn’t an ingredient we use often in the Midwest, especially for burgers because there’s such an emphasis on local beef burgers, but it’s great to change things up a bit which is why I’m partnering with the Tri-Lamb Group to inspire you to branch out this grilling season!
Ground lamb is mixed with the fresh, Mediterranean combo of sun dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, and parmesan cheese then wrapped in a snug hug of prosciutto and grilled until sizzling.
These burgers are DECADENT! The ground lamb is extremely tender and stays super juicy from being wrapped in prosciutto. The bruschetta topping combining fresh tomatoes with basil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top freshens up the whole thing.
Just in case you’re wanting to learn a little bit more about lamb – here’s the skinny: the leanest cuts are doing to be from the leg, loin, and rack, which have roughly 170 calories per 3oz serving, and lamb is an excellent source of protein, iron, and omega-3 fats.
Beside all that, ground lamb, which I used in these burgers, is used the exact same way as ground beef. No special handling nor preparation required. You’ve got this!
Start by making the fresh bruschetta topping for the juicy burgers. I am not kidding when I say I could face-plant into this bowl and just be 100% ok with that.
In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes with 2 Tablespoons each freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil, 1-1/2 Tablespoons each extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, salt, and pepper the stir to combine. Stash in the fridge while you make the burgers.
Next get the burgers going. These babies have a few fun mix-ins so we need to add “bread” crumbs to help keep the burgers together. Bread in quotes because there’s no actual bread used in this gluten-free recipe, of course! My favorite faux bread crumb is pulverized Rice Chex. Yes! Just add 1 cup Rice Chex (might need a little more depending on how fine you get them,) to a food processor then blitz until they’re the texture of bread crumbs and equal 1/2 cup.
If you don’t need the burgers to be gluten-free you can just use regular bread crumbs.
Add the bread crumbs to a large bowl with 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup each chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in oil and fresh parsley, 1 whisked egg, 2 Tablespoons milk (any kind – I used unsweetened almond milk,) and lots of salt and pepper. Mix everything up with your hands until just combined then score into 4 equal sections.
Next, bust out your burger press! The Tri-Lamb Group is partnering with Weber Grills to kickoff grilling season, who provided me with this burger press to form the patties. File this gadget under things I never knew I needed to have until I had it. It’s so easy to use and makes the perfect uniform patties so they all cook evenly on the grill.
All you have to do is place the meat mixture on top, then press and presto!
Last step before grilling is to lay two slices of prosciutto cris-crossed on a cutting board.
La Quercia is my one and only, and made right here in Norwalk, Iowa with just two ingredients – pork and sea salt. It’s truly one of the most delicious foods ever. I eat it as a snack all the time!
Wrap the extra prosciutto over the burgers then head out to the grill which should be preheating for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
Generously spray both sides of the burgers with nonstick spray then place them prosciutto-covered-side down (that’s important as the prosciutto will help keep the burgers together!) on the grates and grill for 4-5 minutes on one side. Carefully flip then grill for another 3-4 minutes on the other.
Let the burgers rest for 5 minutes before placing them on top of a bed of fresh arugula, and then smothering them with fresh bruschetta. Grab a fork and knife and dig in!
These burgers are decadent tasting and the crispy grilled prosciutto is out of this world. You could totally pop these burgers between buns but I liked keeping things light by placing them “au naturel” over a bed of fresh greens. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 1 egg, whisked
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 8 slices prosciutto
- fresh arugula, for serving
For the bruschetta topping:
- 1 cup finely chopped tomato
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
Directions
For the Bruschetta Topping:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl then stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator while preparing burgers.
For the Lamb Burgers:
- In a large bowl add bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, sun dried tomatoes, egg, milk, salt and pepper then stir to combine. Crumble ground lamb on top then mix with hands until just combined and divide mixture into four portions. Press each portion into a thin burger. Lay two slices of prosciutto cris-crossed on a cutting board. Place burger on top then fold over ends of prosciutto.
- Preheat grill to medium high. Spray both sides of burgers well with nonstick spray then place prosciutto covered side down and grill for 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip then grill for another 3-4 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then place on a bed of arugula, spoon bruschetta mixture on top, and then serve.
Notes
- Adapted from Food Network
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
We love lamb burgers with my husband’s homemade buns. This looks like an incredibly delicious twist–can’t wait to try it! But we’ll have to, if we want to do it on the grill, since it’s February and snowing. Have you ever tried cooking these in the broiler? Just a note, what you’re calling “bruschetta” would actually be the topping part of traditional bruschetta, which is “toast with a topping” in Italian. Here’s a good description/recipe from Paolo, @quatrofromaggio: http://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/06/bruschetta.html
Thanks for your great recipes!
We had this for dinner tonight and it was as delicious as I hoped it would be. I love lamb and this is a great recipe for ground lamb. Thank you!
This was so dang awesome. I think you have just elegantly invented the burgersalad- which is my idea of the perfect summertime dinner. Thank you. The lamb burger wearing a crispy prosciutto jacket drenched in bruschetta over baby arugula. What. Ever. Thanks for the great recipe. Will be making again and often (in some form or another or just the way it is). Here’s to summer!
I made these this weekend using some good ground beef I already had in the freezer (didn’t feel like fighting the Memorial Day weekend crowd at BJ’s to get ground lamb) and they were AMAZING. I can’t even imagine how good they’ll be made with lamb, but you better believe I’ll be making them again soon to try. Thank you for the great recipe!
Wohoo!! So glad to hear! Yes, come back and let me know what you think when you try it with the lamb. Such a treat! :)
I’m scared too! ;) I think I might consider it though. For some reason I just think that it would be ‘gamey’ tasting.
That’s what I thought before we had the chops but they’re definitely not. Super mild and delicious!
I grew up eating lamb and I think it has got to be my favourite meat! These look great!
Well, you have officially taken my burger craving to a new height – I thought I was craving an awesome cheese burger with the works for Memorial Day but nope. I’m now craving THESE!! I’m obsessed with the tender lamb, that salty prosciutto, and the fresh bruschetta on top!!!
These are delicious! Had one bite when Kristin was making and will for sure be making myself!
These look amazing! I’ll have to give them a try next week.
The only lamb I’ve ever eaten is OF COURSE in gyro form! I don’t even like meat, but I LOVE gyros! And I don’t even like cheeseburgers (how totally un-American, I know!), so I will definitely have to try lamburgers. I’ll have to check with my local meat market, because like the above poster said, I don’t think my grocery store carries ground lamb. Thanks for the great recipe idea!
okay…TRYING to not be afraid :) but where in the world do I find ground lamb? Is that a normal grocery store item…because I have never even LOOKED for lamb. But I am excited!! <3
I was wondering the same thing! Do you find the lamb at HyVee or did you have to go to a specialty grocery. These look amazing and I can’t wait to try!
So sorry, I definitely forgot to include where I got the ground lamb – I found it at Whole Foods!
Ooooo! These look amazing! i love this idea!