Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy a homemade beef burger, with all the trimmings, and know you are eating some vegetables too? Well, now you can with these Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers. They are great for fussy eaters that would rather eat burgers than vegetables, because this recipe is both, and they will never know!
We couldn’t get through National BBQ Week without sharing a burger recipe, could we! We have taken a classic beef burger, and added lots of shredded vegetables. But, because they are shredded and mixed in with the beef you would never know they are there, which is why we have called them Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers.
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If you are fairly new to the blog, then you might not know what we are all about. Well, nothing is off limits here and no foods are banned. Well, maybe swede. YUK! We love a burger (and the fries too) and although they are not an every day food, they are definitely part of our diet. We just find ways to make our favourite meals a little bit lighter, and ways to sneak some vegetables in to them too.
What vegetables can I use in beef burgers?
We have shredded up some carrot and courgette to add to the burger mince, but there are loads of other vegetables you could use instead. You could grate broccoli and cauliflower or even butternut squash and bell pepper. There are plenty of options depending on what vegetables you are trying to increase in your diet.
We are pretty lucky that Avery will eat almost everything and she loves vegetables. But, we know that as she gets older that is likely to change, so we are preparing ourselves with lots of recipes that have vegetables hidden in them. It doesn’t hurt for us to have some extra vegetables in our diet too.
What if I don’t like beef?
If you don’t eat beef, then you could hide the vegetables in chicken burgers, lamb burgers or even bean burgers.
**Tip – this recipe uses just half a courgette. Don’t throw the other half away, make our epic homemade tzatziki and put it in the burgers instead of mayo or ketchup.**
Do I have to cook the burgers on a BBQ?
Nope! You can cook these under the grill or fry them in a pan too. I think they are best when they have the charred taste of being cooked on the BBQ and food always tastes better when cooked and eaten outside, but you don’t have to. Cooking times will of course vary.
Ingredients needed to make these Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers.
- 500g lean beef mince
- 2 garlic cloves
- A pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg, beaten (not shown below)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 small carrot, grated
- Half a courgette, grated
- A handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped (use whatever you have that needs using up)
- Buns, lettuce, tomato and sauce to serve (not shown below)
How to make Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers – Step by Step.
One: Put the carrot, courgette and shallot in a large mixing bowl.
Two: Add the garlic, salt and pepper, egg, tomato puree and herbs.
Three: Add the beef and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
Four: Using your hands, form the mixture in to 4 burger patties and put in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking.
What to serve with these Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers.
- Healthy Tomato Ketchup
- Healthy BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Corn with Herb Butter
- Garlic Potato Wedges
- Baked Garlic Polenta Fries
- Baked Carrot Fries
Some extra tips for making these hidden vegetable beef burgers.
- You don’t have to make these as burgers. Instead of forming them in to burger patties, roll the mixture in to mini meatballs and bake in a tomato sauce.
- Mix up the flavours by adding in different herbs and spices. You could have Mexican burgers, Cajun, Italian – get creative.
- If you are trying to keep things low carb, swap the burger bun for a giant lettuce leaf for a low carb burger option.
If you’ve tried these Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious recipe ideas, behind the scenes shots and also what we are getting up to.
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- 500 g Lean beef mince
- 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
- A pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Egg beaten
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 Large shallot, diced
- 1 Small carrot, grated
- Half a courgette, grated
- A handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped (use whatever you have that needs using up)
- Buns, lettuce, tomato and sauce to serve
Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix well.
Using your hands, form the mixture in to 4 burger patties and put in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking.
Put your burger patties on to a hot BBQ grill and cook for 3 minutes one side and 6 minutes the other side for medium-well done.
Stack your burgers by adding them to buns with lettuce, tomato and sauce.
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Sarah Bailey says
I wonder if I would get away with something like this for my other half – he’s not sure a huge fan of veggies so hidden would be good.
Jemma says
This looks like such a tasty burger. Love all the veggies that you’ve managed to stuff in too.
Jared says
This looks so good! certainly an easy way to get the kids eating their vegetables
Chichi says
This is a wonderful idea to get the kiddos to indulge in veggies without even realizing it. I am so making this soon. Yum
Cindy Gordon says
I am loving the addition of hidden vegetables in these burgers! I love getting more vegetables into my diet and my children’s!
David @ Cooking Chat says
definitely a great idea for getting more veggies onto the plate! looks like it tastes great too.
Kiki Johnson says
Luckily, there are no fussy eaters in my home but I still appreciate recipes that incorporate veggies to make the meal more filling without adding to many calories! A lovely burger recipe!
Tanya Brannan says
I have honestly never thought of putting all these vegetables in my burgers, but they look EPIC!
We are really good eating loads of vegetables and there aren’t very many that we don’t like, especially as one of my daughters is a vegetarian.
To be honest, these look better than the burgers I normally make so I have printed myself a copy so I can give it a go next weekend when we plan on having friends for a bbq. Thank you so much for giving a burger a twist and making it a lot more interesting.
nicol says
I actually do the hidden veggies a lot and it does help increase my vegetable intake haha great recipe and looks delicious
Tanya says
What a creative way to add vegetables to a dish, these would be great for fussy kids who try to avoid the vegetables
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
This is such a great idea! I use vegetables in my turkey burgers to keep them moist, but I never thought to try it with beef!
Veena Azmanov says
Such a great way to add veggies in the kids diet and to lighten up the burgers too! Love the creativity and flavors you have going here. Saving this for later.
camila says
This burger is super delicious!! Love it so so much!! Love all the veggies in it!!!
Molly Kumar says
This is Fabulous and what a great idea to hide all the veggies!! I’ll have to try this for my picky eaters 😉
Marisa Moore says
This is such a smart recipe and I’m sure the veggies add a lot of flavor!
Sandhya Hariharan says
I love the idea of sneaking in extra veggies into the burger { though mine is a all veggie burger) along with lettuce and tomato.
Your burger looks so good!! That reminds me, I need to make one this weekend for my little guests.