Pesto Beef Sliders
Pesto-spiked beef sliders, pan-seared to perfection, then nestled on soft rolls with creamy mozzarella, ripe tomato, and crisp lettuce. A drizzle of balsamic glaze and you’re ready to serve. Like a mash-up of sliders and Caprese salad, it’s an explosion of flavors from the first bite to the last!
You only need a handful of ingredients for these amazing sliders! These sliders are made with two ingredients – lean beef and basil pesto. The pesto provides ALL the flavor since it’s made with fresh basil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. Plus, the pesto keeps the sliders ultra juicy!
This is like a commingling of caprese salad and sliders. When you add fresh mozzarella, ripe tomato and balsamic glaze to the basil-infused beef patties, it’s like the classic Italian salad and savory burgers in one scrumptious bite!
I like fresh mozzarella for these sliders, but you can use regular mozzarella too. Fresh mozzarella is soft and creamy, and it’s the perfect partner for the burgers. You can also use regular mozzarella (part-skim or whole milk), or shredded mozzarella if that’s what you have handy.
I used lettuce in the sliders for added crunch, but fresh basil works too. Since there’s basil in the burgers, adding basil on top would be a nice compliment. I like the crunch of lettuce too!
Pesto Beef Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- Olive oil for coating the pan
- Slider buns or dinner rolls
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 1 ripe tomato, sliced
- Lettuce leaves or fresh basil
- Balsamic glaze for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the beef and pesto and mix well to combine. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each about 1-inch thick.
- Coat a large skillet, grill pan or griddle with olive oil preheat to medium-high. Add the sliders and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, or longer for more fully cook meat.
- Transfer the sliders to the buns and top with the fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, lettuce and/or basil. Drizzle balsamic glaze alongside (or over top) and serve.