Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta

Fire up the grill for Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta. Decadent tasting and delicious!

We’re doing this!

Yep! You, and you, and especially you, are grilling Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta this Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial (what does a weekend have to do make it officially official?) kickoff to grilling season!

Say it with me…I am not afraid. 

Let’s be real, lamb isn’t an ingredient many Americans use on the regular, especially here in the Midwest where beef burgers roam free, but come on, it’s SO fun 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!

The first time I ever ate lamb was last winter and to be honest I had no idea what to expect. Ben picked up a rack of chops at Costco while he was there getting, I don’t know, an 84oz bottle of Bulleit, triple pack of ketchup and 400 garbage bags, then come home, sent me off to the living room to catch up on trashy television (I mean, I don’t remember exactly but that sounds like the most probable situation,) and went to work. First he seared the chops in a cast iron skillet then sent them to roast in the oven with a prayer and crossed fingers. Mere minutes later they were done, and MAN were they a treat. Juicy, delicate, and incredibly tender.

Since that night I’ve been on the lookout for another chance to cook with lamb and this opportunity came at the perfect time. Fire up the grill for this insanely delicious burger recipe!

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 (um, can I get in on that?!) and grilled until sizzling.

You guys, we went WILD for these burgers. The ground lamb is extremely decadent tasting and stays really juicy from being wrapped in salty prosciutto. The bruschetta topping combining fresh tomatoes with basil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top though? Spoke to my soul.

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. It’s so fresh and eating it made me feel like I was smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean wearing a big floppy sun hat eating garden-fresh appetizers from a white-clothed table in the middle of a vineyard. Just kidding I don’t wear sun hats.

All you do is mix up 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 in a bowl. Slam a few spoonfuls then stash the rest in the fridge for safe keeping – that is to say, out of sight!

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. (Psst! I’ve giving one of these away at the end of the post!)

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!

Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta

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gluten free

Description

Fire up the grill for Prosciutto Wrapped Mediterranean Lamb Burgers with Bruschetta. Decadent tasting and delicious!

Ingredients

serves 4

• 1 cup Rice Chex pulverized into 1/2 cup crumbs, or 1/2 cup bread crumbs (dish will not be gluten-free if using 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
• 1lb 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

1. For the bruschetta topping: combine all ingredients in a bowl then stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator while preparing burgers.
2. In a large bowl add Rice Chex or 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.
3. 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

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

Honestly I am telling you that Ben and I (and my brother-in-law and Dad, who were both over when I was recipe testing!) scarfed these burgers. They’re so 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. Pinky swear you’ll try these burgers this Memorial Day weekend?!

WEBER BURGER PRESS GIVEAWAY!

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