Spice Up Your Burgers!

Now that the weather has warmed up, it is definitely BBQ season. We love burgers in our house, and I love mixing it up by trying different spices and stuffings. A little-known fact about me - I hate touching raw meat! We used to buy pre-packaged burgers from Costco but the cost adds up, plus there's nothing like fresh homemade patties! Epicure's 3 in 1 burger press changed the game for me and now we have fresh burgers all spring and summer long. Check out the video below of my demo of making stuffed burgers.

One of my favourite new products this season is the West Coast Burger! It's a fresh new flavour that my girls and I love. The blend is versatile—use it to make fish burgers, or season fish or veggies before grilling. See the video below to find out more and see how easy it is to make.

My summer go-to is the Good Burgers. Real Fast. Meal Kit which comes with a digital recipe plan which is so easy, check it out here. For info on any of these products you can go right to the food shopping section of my website

As we all know, one of the most important parts of a burger is the condiments! We used to love the Big Mac Sauce but after trying Epicure's Big Burger Sauce, we'll never go back. Reading the ingredient list was very eye-opening.

Tired of the same packaged burgers? Want to spice up your homemade burgers? Here are five of my favourite burger recipes.

#5: Big Batch Summer Burgers

Ingredients

3 1⁄2 lbs (1 1⁄2 kg) lean ground beef

1 cup Burger Seasoning

1 cup Sweet & Spicy Mustard

1 cup ketchup (save on the sugar and sub in crushed tomatoes)

Preparation

1. Crumble beef into a large bowl.

2. Add Burger Seasoning, Sweet & Spicy Mustard, and ketchup.

3. Using your hands, gently mix to combine evenly.

4. Divide mixture into 12–14 portions and form each into a ball. Flatten to form patties.

5. Individually wrap burgers, or portion into family-sized packs. Be sure to separate each burger with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Snugly wrap with plastic, then place in freezer bags. Freeze up to 2 months.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 270, Fat 13 g (Saturated 5 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 65 mg, Sodium 460 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g (Fiber 2 g, Sugars 7 g), Protein 26 g.

#4: West Coast Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 slices sandwich bread, your choice

1 small zucchini

1 can (19 oz/540 ml) no salt added chickpeas

1⁄4 cup natural peanut butter or seed butter

2 tbspWest Coast Burger Seasoning

2 tsp oil

4 buns

Toppings (optional): Big Burger Sauce, sliced avocado, lettuce, pickles

Preparation

1. Cut off and discard crusts from bread. Tear bread into small pieces. Grate zucchini; you should have about 2 cups. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in a food processor; add peanut butter and seasoning. Pulse until mixture is well mixed, but still has a few chunky pieces and starts to come together; form into four patties.

2. Heat oil in a large non-stick fry pan over high heat. Add patties; reduce heat to medium and fry 5 min per side, or until crisp and brown on the outside and warmed through. Add more oil, if needed.

3. Tuck patties into buns and add toppings, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 410, Fat 14 g (Saturated 2 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 410 mg, Carbohydrate 56 g (Fiber 11 g, Sugars 7 g), Protein 17 g.

#3: Classic Beef Burgers

Ingredients

1 egg

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp Burger Seasoning

1 tbsp 3 Onion Dip Mix

2 tsp Sweet & Spicy Mustard

1 1⁄2 lbs (675 g) ground beef

1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs

Preparation

1. Whisk egg, water, seasoning, dip, and mustard together in a bowl.

2. Crumble in beef and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Mix to combine. Wet hands to prevent sticking and form mixture into 6 patties.

3. Grill patties on the barbecue over medium-high heat with lid closed for 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling for about 5 more minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer indicates a Food Safe internal temperature of 160° F (71° C).

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 160, Fat 6 g (Saturated 2 g, Trans 0.5 g), Cholesterol 100 mg, Sodium 220 mg, Carbohydrate 3 g (Fiber 1 g, Sugars 0 g), Protein 24 g.

#2: Stampede Burgers

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 lbs (675 g) lean ground beef

1⁄4 cup rolled oats

1 tbsp Burger Seasoning

1 - 3 tsp chipotle chili, or your favourite hot sauce

1⁄4 cup ketchup

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

2. With water-moistened hands, form mixture into 1” thick patties.

3. Place patties on a barbecue grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Flip patties and top with prepared barbecue or grilling sauce, then continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer indicates a food-safe internal temperature of 160° F (71° C).

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 230, Fat 12 g (Saturated 4.5 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 220 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g (Fiber 1 g, Sugars 3 g), Protein 23 g.

#1: Beef Parmesan Burgers

Ingredients 3 green onions 1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef 2 tbsp Burger Seasoning 4 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese 1 cup pasta sauce, your choice 4 ciabatta buns, split and toasted Toppings (optional): fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.

2. Chop green onions; place in a large bowl and add beef and seasoning. Using a fork or your hands, gently mix to combine. Form into 4 patties.

3. Grill, with lid closed, 4–5 min or until cooked through. Add cheese for the last 1 min of cooking. While burgers are cooking, measure sauce into a Rectangular Steamer. Cover; microwave on high until hot, 1–2 min.

4. To serve, place burgers on bottom bun halves. Generously spoon sauce over top. Add toppings, if desired. Cover with top bun.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 410, Fat 16 g (Saturated 6 g, Trans 0.4 g), Cholesterol 70 mg, Sodium 580 mg, Carbohydrate 33 g (Fiber 3 g, Sugars 4 g), Protein 32 g.

Which recipe are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments below. If you try any of these recipes, please don't forget to share a video or picture with me, I would love to see how it turned out for you. For more recipe inspiration you can join my private Facebook community or subscribe to my newsletter.

For more Burger-inspired dishes check out my top 5 uses for each of the spice blends in the Good Burgers. Real Fast. Meal Kit.