My family LOVES these grilled Italian Burgers. They are quick and easy to prepare and require minimal ingredients. The patty is created with a combination of ground beef and a little Italian sausage and is complimented with bright marinara, melted cheese, and a smear of tangy Lemon-Garlic Aioli. It’s kind of like a giant BBQed meatball sandwich and it’s a nice change of pace from the every day BBQed burger. This is a family favorite of ours as both kiddos and adults love them!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Grill Pan – If you’re making these indoors, I recommend using an indoor grill pan.
- Burger Patties
- Ground Sirloin
- Italian Sausage – Sausage links or loose packed Italian sausage from the meat department works great. Just make sure it’s Italian sausage, not breakfast sausage.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- Buns – Make sure to get a good quality bun or Italian roll. Check your store’s bakery for fresh varieties of buns and rolls and grab what looks good to you.
- Butter – For toasting the buns.
- Lemon-Garlic Aioli
- Mayonnaise
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Basil
How to Make Italian Burgers
- Preheat your outdoor grill or grill pan.
- Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Remove castings from sausage if necessary and add to ground beef. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and use your hands to gently combine.
- Divide beef mixture into equal portions, making either 6 small to medium sized burgers or 4 larger ones. Place patties on grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through, or until a thermometer registers 165°F.
- In the last minute of cooking, add a couple slices of cheese to each burger.
- While burgers are cooking, you can mix up your aioli. Combine mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and basil.
- Assemble them all together and get ready for one of the best burgers you’ve ever had!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover patties in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- When you’re working with ground meats, you want to be very gentle. It’s best to use your hands to combine it (use food-safe gloves if you’d like to keep them clean!) Otherwise you end up over-mixing and you’ll end up with a tough burger.
- The Lemon-Garlic aioli makes a great sandwich spread for cold sandwiches or a dip for French fries.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to plan ahead, you can definitely mix up your meat and form patties up to a day ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, separated by pieces of parchment. You an also prep your aioli a day ahead of time. Try to prep toppings and toast buns closer to serving time, as these are best fresh.
Yep. Just use your favorite gluten-free bun. Even though they were compared to meatballs, there are no bread crumbs or other gluten-containing ingredients.
Absolutely! Feel free to use hot Italian sausage and/or add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to your meat mixture or aioli.
Italian Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound sirloin ground
- 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8-12 slices mozzarella cheese
- 4-6 hamburger buns or Italian rolls
- 1 cup Marinara sauce
- Butter for toasting buns
- Aioli
- ¾ cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh
- 1 clove garlic, fresh finely minced
- 1 tablespoon basil, fresh finely minced
Instructions
- Mix all aioli ingredients together and store in fridge until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.
- Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Remove casings from sausage, if necessary, and add to ground beef. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and use your hands to gently combine.
- Divide beef mixture into equal portions, making either 6 small to medium sized burgers or 4 larger ones. Place patties on grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees. In the last minute of cooking, add a couple slices of cheese to each burger.
- While cheese is melting, lightly butter buns and place face down on grill to toast, or place under the broiler until golden brown.
- Spread aioli on buns and add burger. Top with 1-2 tablespoons of marinara. Toss on a couple basil leaves if desired and top with other half of bun.
Notes
- Store leftover patties in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- When you’re working with ground meats, you want to be very gentle. It’s best to use your hands to combine it (use food-safe gloves if you’d like to keep them clean!) Otherwise you end up over-mixing and you’ll end up with a tough burger.
- The Lemon-Garlic aioli makes a great sandwich spread for cold sandwiches or a dip for French fries.
Questions & Reviews
It’s the aioli that makes these so awesome!! The whole family loves these! Perfect for summer when we need a new burger recipe!