5 Delicious Burger Recipes from QVC’s David Venable
Fourth of July weekend is one of the biggest barbecue weekends of the summer. But if you’re like us, maybe you want to take your plain old burger recipes and kick them up a notch. With that in mind, we bring you five super festive and fun burger recipes from from QVC’s David Venable. We’re sure they’ll help you kick off summer deliciously! Check them out below.
Red, White and Blue Burgers
Pressing an indentation into the burger centers before grilling and flipping them only once is David’s trick for guaranteed juicy results.
Ingredients
- 4 hamburger buns, lightly brushed with oil on insides
- 4 green leaf lettuce leaves
- 4 (1⁄4-inch thick) tomato slices
- 4 (1⁄2-inch thick) slices Vidalia onion, lightly brushed with oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 4 oz. chunk blue cheese, cut into 4 slices
Prepare the burgers: Heat grill for low direct-heat cooking. Toast hamburger buns until golden brown; move to serving platter. Place 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice on each bun bottom. Increase grill heat to medium-high. Season both sides of onion slices with salt and pepper; grill, flipping every 5 minutes, until grill marks form and onions have softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Shape ground beef into 4 burgers; season all sides with salt and pepper. Grill burgers 3 to 4 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Top burgers with cheese. Close grill lid; cook until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes Place onions and burgers in buns. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Baja Black Bean Burgers
David says using a mixture of whole and mashed beans gives these veggie burgers extra-tasty texture and helps them hold together.
Burger Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1⁄2 diced red onion
- 1⁄2 cup tortilla chips, finely crushed
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 3⁄4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. oil
- 4 hamburger rolls, split
Guacamole Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1⁄2 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
- 1⁄4 cup diced red onion
- 1⁄2 lime, juiced
- 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
- 1⁄2 tsp. salt
Toppings
- Green leaf lettuce
- Tomato slices
- Banana pepper rings (optional)
Prepare burgers: Smash 1 can black beans by hand or with fork in mixing bowl. Add diced onion, tortilla chips, egg, garlic, chipotle in adobo, cumin, pepper and salt, then mix well. Add remaining can of black beans and stir together. Divide mixture into 4 balls; form into burger patties. Refrigerate patties for 30 minutes to help them firm up.
Prepare guacamole: Scoop out avocado into small mixing bowl, then add jalapeño, onion, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Mash ingredients together with fork or back of wooden spoon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook burgers: Start by heating skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbs. oil, then patties. Cook several minutes until nice golden-brown crust is formed. Flip and repeat on other side.
Assemble with toppings: When ready to serve, place burgers on bun bottoms, followed by lettuce, slice of tomato and spoonful of guacamole. If desired, garnish with banana pepper rings.
Serves 4
David’s Turkey Burgers
If you like a little heat, David suggests adding a dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes to the turkey mixture before cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1⁄2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 egg whites, lightly whisked
- 11⁄2 Tbs. dry steak seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1⁄2 tsp. ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- Hamburger rolls (optional)
- Chunky marinara sauce (warmed), green leaf lettuce, sliced tomato and sliced red onion (optional)
Cook the burgers: Heat barbecue or indoor grill for medium-high heat or have skillet ready for stove-top cooking. Combine ground turkey, diced onion, Italian breadcrumbs, egg whites, steak seasoning, minced garlic, ground cumin, and salt and pepper in large bowl and mix thoroughly with hands. (Be careful not to over-knead mixture, otherwise burgers will be tough.) Form meat into 4 patties about 3⁄4-inch thick.
Cook burgers on grill or in skillet over medium-high heat, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 5 to 6 minutes per side. If desired, serve on hamburger rolls with marinara sauce, leaf lettuce, tomato and/or red onion.
Serves 4
Greek Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce
Feta and olives mixed right into the patties make these burgers irresistible.
Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients
- 4 small seedless cucumbers
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1⁄4 cup each chopped dill and mint
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
Burger Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1⁄2 cup crumbled feta
- 1⁄4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- 1⁄4 cup minced red onion
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 4 green leaf lettuce leaves
- 2 tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
- 4 pita pockets, cut in half widthwise
Prepare tzatziki sauce: Grate cucumbers; squeeze out excess liquid. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients and chill.
Prepare burgers: Place tomatoes in bowl of hot water. Let sit 15 min. Drain; chop. Mix with next 8 ingredients; divide into 8 balls. Press into 1⁄2″-thick patties. Heat grill to medium-high. Cook burgers to desired doneness. Place 1 lettuce leaf in each pita; add 2 burgers, tomato and sauce.
Serves 4
Open-Faced Ham and Burger Melts
David’s secret to perfect sunny side- up eggs? Cook them over medium heat in oil, tilting the pan and spooning the oil gently over the whites until set.
Truffle Mayo Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
- 1⁄2 Tbs. truffle oil
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1⁄4 tsp. minced garlic
- 1⁄2 tsp. lemon juice
Burger Melt Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 lbs. ground beef
- Salt and pepper
- 2 ciabatta rolls
- 2 cups baby spinach or shredded lettuce Sliced tomato (optional)
- 12 thin slices ham
- 4 slices Muenster cheese
- 4 sunny-side-up eggs
Prepare truffle mayo: Stir together mayo, oil, mustard, garlic and lemon juice; reserve.
Prepare burger melts: Heat grill for medium-high direct-heat cooking. Shape beef into 4 burgers; season with salt and pepper. Grill burgers 3 to 4 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Slice rolls in half; lightly toast or grill. Spread 1 to 2 Tbs. truffle mayo on rolls. Layer 1⁄2 cup spinach on top of each; add tomato (if using), 1 burger, 3 slices ham and 1 slice cheese. Grill, covered, until cheese melts, 1 minute. Just before serving, top each with 1 sunny-side-up egg.
Serves 4
We hope you love these burger recipes as much as we do. And for more of David’s cooking tips, tricks, and recipes, check out his QVC show In the Kitchen with David!
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
