Confetti Beef Burgers

Including more veg in your diet can be tough. Solution? Combine some chopped veggies with lean ground beef and a few extras to create juicy, healthy burgers.  Bonus: the veg will add extra bulk, meaning you get more burger for your buck!

I’m on a mission to improve my husband’s diet. He doesn’t eat terribly by any means - I feel that there is room for improvement. His favorite dish is a juicy hamburger, plus a nice slab of cheese, bacon, and whatever else is going!

While research tells us that following a plant-based diet has numerous benefits for health, I strongly believe that you don’t have to give up meat to see improvements in your health. It’s just about making small adjustments (stick to lean and organic if possible) and moderating portion size. But doesn’t beef contain saturated fat and cholesterol? Yes it does. BUT it also has iron (especially important for pregnant women and growing kids), B12 and other nutrients.

Adding a hefty portion of veggies to these burgers, adds fiber a range of vitamin and minerals. One of these confetti burgers has roughly a quarter the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol compared to regular plain beef burger.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Makes 6 medium sized patties

1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (I like 80% lean)
1⁄2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1⁄2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped thyme
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

Wholegrain bread bun (optional)

Directions

1.      Place all ingredients into bowl and mix together well.

2.      Heat up a grill pan and spray with olive oil. Split mixture into 4 patties, grill 4-5 minutes on medium heat, flip and cook 4-5 minutes on other side.

3. Add an optional bun and serve with your favorite toppings!

Recipe adapted from Abbie Gellman & Julie Harrington’s original Confetti Burger recipe