Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade Burger
A beef burger with sun-dried tomato and olive tapenade, fresh mozzarella, and arugula on ciabatta.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 12min
- Total
- 27min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 890per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Sun-dried tomatoes outweigh the olives in this tapenade, so it tastes sweet and tart first and briny second. Kalamatas, capers and garlic are still there, pulsed with basil and olive oil into a coarse spread. Stop the food processor while you can still see pieces.
Olives and capers bring plenty of salt, so the tapenade gets only black pepper and the salt goes on the beef. Fresh mozzarella softens under a lid in the last minute, and the ciabatta toasts cut-side down in the same skillet, picking up the beef drippings.
Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 12 min, total 27 min. About 890 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/sun-dried-tomato-tapenade-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Make the tapenade: In a food processor, combine 3½ oz sun-dried tomatoes, 2 oz Kalamata olives, ½ oz capers, garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil, and ½ oz basil leaves. Pulse until coarsely chopped but not smooth. It should have texture. Season with pepper (usually no salt needed due to olives and capers). Set aside.
Form ground beef into 4 equal patties, about ¾ inch thick. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large 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). In the last minute, top each patty with a slice of mozzarella and cover to melt.
Toast ciabatta buns cut-side down in the same skillet until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble burgers: Spread sun-dried tomato tapenade generously on both bun halves. Place beef patties with melted mozzarella on bottom buns, top with fresh arugula. Crown with top buns. Serve with extra tapenade on the side.
Store leftover tapenade in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tips
- Blot the drained sun-dried tomatoes with a paper towel. Their packing oil plus the 30 ml in the recipe can make the tapenade greasy and slippery on the bun.
- Taste the tapenade before salting the beef. If it's very salty, season the patties lightly.
- Pat the fresh mozzarella dry before it goes on. It releases water as it softens and can pool on top of the patty.
- Pour off all but a thin film of fat before toasting the ciabatta. Too much fat makes the cut side greasy instead of crisp.
Substitutions
- Castelvetrano olives instead of Kalamata: milder and buttery, so the tomatoes lead even more.
- Provolone instead of fresh mozzarella: melts faster, tastes sharper and adds no extra water.
- Vegetarian: put the tapenade and mozzarella on a portobello cap, brushed with oil and seared about 4 minutes per side.
- Gluten-free: the tapenade has no gluten, so only the bread needs swapping for gluten-free rolls.
Make ahead & storage
The tapenade keeps up to 1 week in a covered jar in the fridge; a thin layer of olive oil on top keeps it from drying out. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a skillet to 165°F (74°C), then add fresh mozzarella and arugula.
