Healthy Chicken Burgers with Spinach Basil Pesto & Mozzarella
Wonderful healthy chicken burgers with a homemade basil pesto, mozzarella and all the toppings your heart desires! Grill them up and chow down!
Servings 4 burgers
Calories 272cal
Ingredients
- For the pesto:
- 3 cups organic spinach
- 5 large basil leaves
- juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts or roasted almonds
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (or Go Veggie Dairy Free Parmesan)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon water, to thin pesto
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
- For the burgers:
- 1 pound ground chicken thighs (or you can use 95% lean ground chicken)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices Go Veggie Lactose Free Mozzarella slices
- 4 whole grain, gluten free buns or lettuce wraps
- For burgers: tomato slices, onion slices, avocado slices and buns of choice
Instructions
- First make the pesto: Add spinach, basil, lemon, olive oil, nuts, parmesan cheese and garlic to the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix). Process until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of water to thin pesto if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Lightly oil grill grate. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 2 tablespoons of pesto, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together and form into 4 patties.
- Place burgers on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until done. Top with cheese and grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
- Serve each burger in a bun or lettuce wrap and top with 1 tablespoon of pesto, plus any additional toppings you might like such as avocado, onion or tomato.
Notes
Nutrition for burgers do not include buns or extra toppings such as tomato, onion or avocado.
If you want to add a whole grain hamburger bun, here's the nutrition for one burger (with bun): 402 calories | 18.7g fat | 3.7g saturated fat | 27.8g carbs | 4.8g fiber | 2.5g sugar | 35g protein
Nutrition
Serving: 1burger | Calories: 272cal | Carbohydrates: 3.8g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 16.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g