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500 g medium or lean ground beef
3 tbsp tomato sauce, or ketchup
2 garlic cloves, or 1 1/2 tsp bottled chopped garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, or a mix of dried basil and oregano leaves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Lightly oil grill and heat barbecue to medium-high. Crumble beef into a large bowl. Drizzle in pasta sauce, then sprinkle with garlic, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. (If using ketchup, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon/1 mL salt.) Using a fork or your hands, mix just until blended. Do not overmix, or burgers will be tough.
Shape into 4 burgers, each about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. To prevent burgers puffing up in centre as they cook, use your thumb to form a shallow depression in centre of each. Grill with lid closed until burgers are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Tuck into warm crusty buns. Top with grated cheese and a drizzle of warm pasta sauce.
Calories 231, Protein 23.6g, Carbohydrates 1.9g, Fat 13.7g, Fibre 0.3g, Sodium 361mg.
Little ones will be thrilled with this combination of their two favourite dinners: pizza and burgers. All it takes is seasonings, grated cheese and a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce stirred into the ground beef. You can also pan-fry the burgers in about the same time as you would barbecue.