Spanish Chorizo Manchego Burger
A Spanish-inspired burger with chorizo-infused beef, aged Manchego cheese, and smoky romesco sauce for Iberian flavor.
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 10min
- Total
- 30min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 860per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Chopping cured Spanish chorizo into the beef does two jobs. As the patties cook, its paprika-red fat melts into the leaner 85/15 beef, and the small firm pieces give each bite some chew. Chop it fine, though; big chunks make the patties crack.
The romesco is a blender sauce of jarred roasted peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, red wine vinegar and smoked paprika. It goes on both halves of the ciabatta so the sturdy bread never tastes dry. Manchego softens rather than fully melting, and arugula adds a peppery edge against the pork fat.
Spanish Chorizo Manchego Burger
Prep 20 min, cook 10 min, total 30 min. About 860 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/spanish-chorizo-manchego-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make romesco sauce: in a food processor, blend roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
Mix ground beef with finely chopped chorizo. Form into 4 equal patties.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C). Add Manchego slices in the last minute and let melt.
Toast ciabatta buns until golden and slightly crispy.
Assemble burgers: spread romesco sauce on both bun halves, place arugula on bottom buns, add beef-chorizo patties with melted Manchego, then crown with top buns.
Tips
- Use cured Spanish chorizo, the firm sausage sold whole, not raw Mexican chorizo. Chop it into 1/8 inch (3 mm) pieces so it spreads evenly through the beef.
- Chorizo fat and paprika scorch easily. If the pan starts smoking, lower the heat to medium and give the patties an extra minute to reach 160°F (71°C).
- Taste the romesco after blending. Jarred peppers vary in salt and sweetness, so it may need another splash of vinegar or a pinch of salt.
- Slice the Manchego thin and cover the pan once it goes on. A firm aged cheese needs the trapped heat to soften in just a minute.
Substitutions
- Mexican chorizo instead of Spanish: it's raw and soft, so squeeze it from the casing and mix it in loose. Expect a wetter, spicier patty that still needs 160°F (71°C).
- Hazelnuts instead of almonds: a slightly sweeter romesco. For a nut-free version, thicken the sauce with toasted breadcrumbs instead.
- Aged gouda or Monterey Jack instead of Manchego: both melt faster and more smoothly, with less sharpness.
Make ahead & storage
Romesco keeps up to 5 days covered in the fridge, so it's an easy make-ahead. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a covered skillet to 165°F (74°C). Toast the ciabatta and add the arugula only when serving.
