Grilled Italian Bunless Burgers are Mediterranean-flavored patties packed with delicious ingredients. These unique burgers make a great summer meal.
I love a summertime meal I don’t have to cook indoors. That means a cookout for me! But sometimes I want to shake up the regular BBQ menu and make a lighter meal everyone will still devour.
I dig the bunless burgers at 5-Napkin Burger. They serve them on a salad. Delish! I also love any restaurant that serves it up “protein-style,” sans the bun, with all the goodness. I wanted to create my own low-carb burger recipe, with lots of flavor.
Admittedly, sometimes I overdose on my addictive out-of-this-world BBQ Ribs. Oh, they are delicious. However a little healthy grilled meal, like these alternative burgers, are quite perfect in the mix of BBQ meals.
Some simple Italian ingredients are all it takes to put these unique burgers together in under half an hour.
I started with ground beef and mixed in spicy Italian sausage for flavor in these unique burgers. You’ll be surprised, the heat doesn’t come through, so little mouths can still enjoy the burgers.
Parmesan cheese and chopped, roasted red peppers are gently mixed into the meat, and of course a pinch of salt. That’s enough to create the most juicy, flavorful patties you’ve had all summer.
I had basil growing in my herb pots, so that was easy to get! And fresh mozzarella is a real treat for this meal. Use any type of lettuce you want. It acts as the bun for these unique burgers. I like red leaf lettuce but romaine and iceberg works, too.
The patties are big! Well, listen, not too big. If you were to serve these on a bun they would fit perfectly, even after a little shrinking on the grill. I used about ⅔ cup of meat mixture for each patty.
Flatten to about 1 inch thick. I like to press mine a little thinner in the center (did you know that’s where they shrink in? This trick helps your burgers stay flat, instead of turning into balls!)
The kids are going to love using lettuce as the bun, on these tasty bunless burgers! It’s major eat-with-your-hands stuff.
Let them pile on some cheese and a tomato with basil if they want, and then wrap that in their new “bun.” Italian Bunless Burgers for the win!
The burgers are so flavorful you really don’t need any other condiments. And that fresh mozzarella makes it more divine.
Go ahead and serve the patties 5-Napkin Burger style… on a salad. I drizzled mine with a balsamic vinaigrette, but a creamy Italian dressing would be fantastic, as well.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Italian Bunless Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 8 ounces spicy Italian sausage (casings removed)
- ½ cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 ball (12 ounces) fresh mozzarella
- 1 tomato
- Lettuce leaves or salad
- Basil leaves
- Italian or Balsamic vinaigrette (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, sausage, roasted peppers, salt, and Parmesan and mix together, don't over mix.
- Heat grill to medium high heat. While grill heats, form mixture into 8 patties, using about ⅔ cup of meat mixture for each. Press to ¾-to-1-inch thick. Grill, turning once, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes total.
- Slice the mozzarella and serve patties with a slice of mozzarella and sliced tomato wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Add basil leaves if desired. Alternately serve patties over a salad with diced mozzarella and tomatoes, drizzled with vinaigrette.
Notes
Some simple Italian ingredients are all it takes to put these unique burgers together in under half an hour.
Nutrition
BBQ Recipes You'll Love
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Recipe, text, photography Tara Teaspoon. Orginally published in IHeartNaptime.net.
Lauren @ Delicious Little Bites says
These are perfect for my keto/low carb diet - love the texture and flavors!
Tara says
Great! I hope it's a summer favorite
Annemarie says
I love the idea of a bunless burger, and the flavor of this version must be epic!
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome says
These sound yummy, perfect for a low carb diet
Mimi says
I need to try them, I love burgers but I'm always scared to eat too many carbs, this sounds yummy
Tara says
It's hard to stay away from carbs in a classic burger, so this is a great variation.
Vicky says
I have been trying to watch my carbs lately without sacrificing flavor and these burgers would be perfect for me. I love Italian cuisine, so why not add those flavors to a juicy burger? Great idea!
Tara says
Exactly! Oh I'm glad it fits on your healthy diet!
Susie says
These looks so delicious! I think I would love mine like the picture above wrapped in lettuce with a big chunk of mozzarella and a fresh Garden tomato. Pinning this now
Tara says
Can't go wrong with a big slice of mozzarella!
Denay DeGuzman says
Ahhh...these juicy burgers look so fabulous! What a great recipe for the summer grilling season. 🙂
Belle says
My husband & son love burgers! I'm sure they would love this! I'm going to try and make this for them!
Tara says
I'm sure they'll love it!
Wanda says
Some days I just don't want the bun so I go bun-less as well! We like to add additional ingredients to our burgers to - one of our favourites is pepperoni, yum! Thanks for sharing!
Tara says
Mmm pepperoni sounds genius.
Amber says
Sounds so tasty with the beef, sausage, peppers and everything else in the patties. Yummmm
Tara says
All the things add so much more flavor than just a regular burger!
Joanne says
Sounds delicious! Will have to try these out!
kim says
These look so fabulous! I love trying new burger variations and I will definitely be giving this one a try!
Tara says
A good burger variation is everything!
Cassie |White Sands and Cool Breezes says
Boy, this sounds so delicious and great for everyone. Thanks for sharing, can't wait to try it!
Tara says
I'd love to hear how you like them!
Ruthie Ridley says
Burgers are our faves! I wanna try these!
LuLu B - Calabrisella Mia says
I love the idea of adding spicy Italian sausage to the mix to give it a bit of a kick! I love bread, but I think I could live with eating these bunless! 🙂
Tara says
It just feels so much more healthy without the bun!
Kayla says
My husband and I are always trying to find a new but less burger or slider recipe. These look fresh and delicious, thanks for sharing.
Tara says
This is perfect then! I'm glad it's looking delicious!
Michelle Kellogg says
Oh my goodness that looks so good! I love burgers during the Summer months! It's my favorite thing to eat this time of year:)
Tara says
Oh awesome. It's a great summer meal!
Leah says
Sounds amazing and simple and being a mom I am always on the hunt got recipes like this!! Thank you!
Tara says
Great for busy weeknights!
Jazz says
I've been trying to cut back on bread so I love this idea!
Tara says
Me too!
Cat says
Mmmm, these bunless burgers sounds delicious! I totally could go for this right now with dinner!
Tara says
It's such a great, light summer meal!
mary jingjing lopez says
I so love homemade patty and this recipe is absolutely a must try, for a change! really looked delicious! oh so yummy!
Tara says
I think you'll love it
Simone Hjulmand says
This looks delicious! Wauw!
simonehjulmand.com
Tara says
thanks! it is
Mary Bench says
I was so lucky that you developed these at my house! It was truly a delicious dinner! Love them!
Tara says
Glad you loved them!