Burgers still seem to be all the rage out and about in the foodie word at the moment, and being a true dirty burger fan, I don’t think I’ll ever bore of them.
However, when trying to stay healthy, it’s always good to have some leaner options up your sleeve.
As my mum is currently doing really well on Slimming World, she recommended this recipe. The whole idea of Slimming World is based around eating the foods you like, but reducing the fat content where possible and using lots of seasoning and fresh herbs to make sure you still maximise on flavour. I cooked them on the hob, but they’d also be perfect for the BBQ.
The recipe serves 4 people and takes about 1 hour .
Healthy beef burgers with spicy wedges & slaw
What you need:
For the wedges
- 4 medium sized baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the burgers
- 500g lean beef mince
- 2 eggs yolks
- ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp fresh Thyme leaves (or you could used dried)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Low calorie cooking spray (olive oil version) for cooking
For the coleslaw
- 200g red cabbage, thinly sliced
- finely shredded 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated (using a food processor is easiest, if you have one!)
- 3 tbsp fat-free natural yogurt
- 1 level tbsp light mayonnaise
- 1 spring onions, roughly chopped
To serve
- 4 brioche buns
- 4 slices of smoked back bacon (see point 5 below, as you may want to grill your bacon beforehand)
- 8 slithers of cheddar cheese (2 for each burger)
- Green salad leaves of your choice
- Tomato ketchup & Light mayonnaise
What to do:
1. Using clean hands, mix together the beef mince, egg yolks, chilli flakes, paprika and thyme leaves. Don’t be scared to get your hands dirty – make sure the mixture is fully combined, and don’t skimp on the seasoning – add plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Divide the combined mixture into 4 portions, and using your hands, shape each portion into a burger. Cover with cling film and set aside in the fridge for 30 mins until ready to cook.
3. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7. Parboil the wedges for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Drain well and leave to cool in a colander for a few minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.
4. Coat the wedges in the Rapeseed oil and chilli flakes, season very well with salt and pepper and transfer them to the baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle with paprika, and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes and adding more paprika if needed.
5. As your wedges are cooking, make your coleslaw and cook your bacon. I have a George Foreman grill – so used that to grill my bacon losing any excess fat. Alternatively, you could lightly fry it in some low calorie cooking spray or grill it beforehand.
6. For the coleslaw, put the fresh red cabbage, grated carrot and spring onion in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt and mayonnaise, then stir into the cabbage mixture. Season to taste and set aside in the fridge until serving.
7. Place a frying pan sprayed with low calorie oil spray over a medium-high heat and cook the burgers for 5 minutes on each side until just cooked through. For the second 5 minutes of cooking time, add the cheddar and bacon on top of the burgers.
[Tip:] if your frying pan has a lid, pop it on top for the last 2 minutes of cooking time, which will help melt the cheese and warm the pre-cooked bacon on the burgers. At this point, also pop your brioche buns on the bottom shelf of the oven to warm through slightly before serving.
8. To serve: remove buns from the oven and lightly coat each side with some light mayo. Add the lettuce leaves to the bottom bun, then place the burger with cheese and bacon on top. Divide the wedges up into 4 and serve alongside the burgers, with a big dollop of the homemade coleslaw from the fridge!
Hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it, let me know how you get on and tweet a picture to @sophiesscran 🙂
