Spanakopita Burgers are everything we love about spanakopita, spinach, lemon and feta, only in a big ole lamb burger!
The favored flavors of spinach, lemon and feta that go into spanakopita, mixed with ground lamb or a meat of choice makes for the best burgers, especially on a homemade bun!
Spanakopita
Oh, how we all love Spanakopita! Greeks bare the best gifts, especially when it comes to food.
Spinach becomes loved, even by children, when it’s tucked inside of a lovely pastry with salty feta cheese and lots of lemon.
What Is Spanakopita?
Greek words for Spinach and Pita (or pastry), is where the word spanakopita comes from.
Since I was a teenager and hung out at the homes of my Greek friends, I took an interest in cooking Greek food.
A Greek mom or Yia Yia (grandma), is always thrilled to teach a non-Greek how to cook. Best part was, I am Syrian, and so I was already cooking dishes that were similar. I wanted, however, to learn the Greek way of doing it too.
Spanakopita is basically sautéed onions and spinach with lemon and herbs, most often oregano, held together with eggs and baked inside of some type of bread or pastry.
Favorite Dishes That Incorporate Spanakopita
What to put spanakopita in? Lots and lots of savory ideas emerge for the basics of this classic dish.
Arabic cooking makes a similar spinach mix and it gets baked inside the dough made for Pita Bread.
Greek cooking, most often, makes pies, small or large bundles with phyllo dough, baking a crisp package around the spinach filling.
Omelettes made with the spinach filling are fabulous. A quiche, with phyllo dough as the crust, makes a quick and delicious spanakopita type meal.
Spanakopita Muffins are my newest creation! You can find this whimsical muffin creation along with 51 others in My Muffin Madness Cookbook!
All the ingredients of spanakopita only the muffin ingredients, of flour and baking powder, replaces other types of pastry. These bake into easy to-go snacks or a meal in itself.
Spanakopita Burgers?
Who doesn’t love a burger! Doesn’t matter what type of meat you like your burger made from, burgers are just delicious, especially in the summertime.
Lamb burgers, beef burgers, venison, turkey, even a good vegan burgers, which to me is similar to falafel. All are loved. Maybe because they are a hot sandwich!
Simply take the ingredients of spanakopita and mix with your favorite ground meat (or alternative burger), and you’ve got a meal in a bite!
Homemade Burger Buns
Meat is not the only part of the burger we love so much. Anyone who has had a Homemade Burger Bun, will find it difficult to go back to store bought buns.
My burger bun recipe is easy to make and can be made – start to finish – in about 2 hours. Definitely worth the time, if you have it.
BEST Spanakopita Burgers
First, can you imagine an entire meal in one bite? Secondly, imagine spinach, feta, onions, ground lamb on a homemade burger bun with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt on top? Lastly, this is soon to become your favorite burger!
Spanakopita burgers are quick to assemble and cook. They only need about 10 minutes to prep the spinach mixture to add to the meat, before sizzling the burgers in a hot pan.
What To Schmear On Spanakopita Burgers?
Why, Greek yogurt, of course! In Middle eastern cooking, yogurt is almost always served with lamb.
Doesn’t matter if the yogurt is plain or mixed into a sauce with herbs, or cucumbers. A dish in Greece known as Tzatziki. Yogurt aids in the digestion of meat, a good reason to embrace yogurt on your burger.
Ketchup is never invited to this burger party, though a freshly sliced tomato is always welcome!
Equipment Needed
- Frying pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring spoons,
- Citrus press
- Stovetop or burner
Ingredients Needed
- Ground lamb or meat of choice
- Spinach
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Feta cheese
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Homemade Burger Buns
- Greek Yogurt
Spanakopita Burgers
Course: MeatCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy4
servingsSpinach, onions, garlic, feta and lemon, the ingredients of Spanakopita, mixed with ground lamb for a fabulous burger.
Ingredients
Ground lamb – 1 lb
Spinach – 1 lb
Onion – 1 small
Garlic – 2 cloves
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Feta – 4 oz
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
Greek yogurt – 1/4 cup
Directions
- Chop the onion into small pieces, crush the garlic and place both onion and garlic into a frying pan with olive oil and sauté until soft. Add the spinach, cook until it until it shrinks to small leaves. Cool this mixture. Save the pan and its juices.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the ground meat, the spinach mixture, lemon juice, salt and mix. Crumble in the feta, mix and form 4 – 6 burger patties, depending on the size you would like the burgers.
- Get the same frying pan hot, place the burgers in and cook about 7 minutes on one side, turn them over and cook another 5 – 7 minutes and remove.
- Serve on burger buns with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Recipe Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
