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Healthy burgers

The ultimate makeover: Burgers

Healthy burgers

Name: Healthy burgers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 400g lean beef mince (10% fat), preferably organic; 5 spring onions finely chopped; 140g finely grated carrot; 2 garlic cloves finely chopped; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tbsp chopped tarragon; 1 medium egg beaten; 4 wholemeal bread rolls, split in half; 1½ tsp rapeseed oil for brushing; 25g watercress; 2 large red peppers halved lengthways and deseeded; 100g cherry or baby plum tomatoes halved; 2 tsp lime juice; 2 tsp snipped chives; ¼ very small red onion thinly sliced; pinch crushed chillies

Angela Nilsen

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 40 mins

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.36 ratingsRate

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Turn a barbecue favourite into a nutritious meal without compromising on taste with our easy healthy burgers

Freezable (Freeze raw burgers only)

Healthy

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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.55 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the burgers

400g lean beef

mince (10% fat), preferably organic
5 spring onions

finely chopped
140g finely grated carrot
2 garlic cloves

finely chopped
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 medium egg

beaten
4 wholemeal bread

rolls, split in half
1½ tsp rapeseed oil

for brushing
25g watercress

For the roasted pepper salsa

2 large red peppers

halved lengthways and deseeded
100g cherry or baby plum tomatoes

halved
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp snipped chives
¼ very small red onion

thinly sliced
pinch crushed chillies

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal405
fat15.4g
saturates5g
carbs37g
sugars10g
fibre5g
protein32g
salt1.44g

low

Method

step 1

Tip the mince into a bowl with the spring onions, grated carrot, garlic, mustard, tarragon and egg. Mix well using a fork. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt, then divide the mixture into 4. Flatten each piece with your hands into a 10cm round (A), about 2cm thick – a similar width to the buns. Chill for about 30 mins. Or can be made a day ahead: stack the burgers between pieces of greaseproof paper to stop them sticking, wrap in cling film then chill until ready to cook.
step 2

Meanwhile, heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Lay the peppers, cut sides down, on a non-stick baking sheet. Roast for 35 mins until the skins are charred, laying the tomatoes next to them, cut-side up, for the final 3 mins just to soften slightly. Remove and immediately transfer the peppers to a small bowl and cover with cling film. Leave for 5-10 mins until cool enough to handle. Peel off the pepper skins (B), chop the peppers and tip them back into the bowl to join any juices there. Chop the tomatoes and stir into the peppers with the lime juice, chives, onion and chillies. Taste and add a grind of pepper if needed. Set aside. Can be made 1-2 days ahead and chilled.
step 3

Heat a griddle pan, or cook the burgers on the barbecue. Lay the cut sides of the buns on the griddle and cook until marked with the griddle bars. Brush each burger on one side with some of the rapeseed oil. Place on the hot griddle, oiled side down. Cook – don’t move them or they may stick – for 5 mins for medium, brush the unoiled side with the rest of the oil (C), then turn and cook for another 5 mins. (For well done, add an extra 1-2 mins to each side.)
step 4

Remove and let the burgers rest for 2-3 mins. Drizzle a little of the pepper juices over the bottom of each bun to moisten, lay on some watercress sprigs, top with a burger, then a spoonful of the salsa (D), spooning over some more of the juices. Sandwich together with the tops of the buns.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2011

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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.36 ratings

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