Greek-Style Lamb Burgers

There is a local restaurant, called the Grille, that serves the BEST lamb burgers.   I am not a huge fan of lamb.  The strong taste often turns me off,  but after trying lamb burgers at the Grille, I became an instant fan of these burgers and couldn't stop thinking about how tasty they were.  Like a gyro on a bun....but better.  I knew I wanted to recreate them at home....but had never bought nor cooked with ground lamb before. 

When I stumbled across some lean ground lamb on sale at the grocery store last week, I knew exactly what I would make with it.  I did a recipe search on WW online, and found a recipe that I loosely followed.  You can find the original recipe HERE. 

I didn't make the sauce to go with them, because I had already had on hand, one of my very favorite store bought tatziki in the fridge ( see pic below) .  I get it at Costco.  It is delicious, and only 1 p+ per 1 oz. serving.  I also used Rosemary Herb rolls I purchased from Costco as well.   The rosemary went perfect with the burgers, but pita halves would work just as well here too!  You can also top your burgers with feta cheese, sliced red onion, and roasted red pepper if you desire.  ( toppings and buns NOT included in nutrition information)
 

I will definitely be making these burgers again.  I was all set to grill them outside...but then, wouldn't you know it, thunderstorms came!  lol  So I ended up making them in my grill pan on the stove.  But next time, I am going to grill them outdoors!  I served them up with some roasted red potatoes and roasted veggies.  YUM!

Greek-Style Lamb Burgers

loosely adapted from a WW Online Recipe

Printable Recipe

Servings - 4   Serving size - one burger ( 3 - 4 oz. cooked weight)   Points Plus per serving - 7 points+

( *Please note, the nutritional information may change with the leaness of the ground lamb you use.  My package stated there was approx. 14g of total fat per 4 oz. meat and that is what I based my calculations off of, if you find a leaner ground lamb, it may be less points+)   Calories - 277.5,   Total Fat - 14.8g,   Carb. - 1.6g,   Protein - 30.9g,   Fiber - 0.2g

1 lb. of lean ground lamb*

1/4 cup sweet onion ( such as vidalia), finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS. lemon zest

2 TBS. fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 TBS. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup egg beaters OR 1 egg white

1.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Form into 4 patties.  

2.  Cook on med-high heat on grill or on stove top in grill pan until done ( about 3 - 5 minutes per side) or internal temperature reaches 145 - 160 degrees F.  

3.  Serve on pita halves or buns and top with fresh tomato slices, feta cheese, red onion slices, tatziki, and/or roasted red peppers.  ( Toppings and buns NOT included in nutritional information)

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Yes, I was all set to finally do some grilling, and then it began to thunder.  It never really poured rain, and I could have probably gotten my grilling done...but I didn't want to chance having to stand out in the pouring rain cooking.  

As I have mentioned, these burgers were really delicious.  My son asked for seconds, but since this was the first time I was attempting cooking with ground lamb, I only made enough for each of us to have one.  Next time I will make more.  :)   How about you?  Are you a fan of lamb?  Have you ever had a lamb burger?