Add 10x More Flavor To Your Burgers With This Italian Sauce

It's one thing to master the essential tips for grilling perfect burgers, but, if your toppings are a flop, you could be in for a disappointing BBQ. Pesto isn't exactly an unusual burger topping in the sense that it makes you scratch your head when you think about it, but we're here to tell you that this Italian sauce, which you might normally serve over pasta, is actually the flavorful burger dressing that could level up your handheld. Adding pesto does something very special for your burger: it makes it luxurious. When you combine pesto with the right toppings on your burger (more on that in a bit), you turn a humble meat patty into something upscale and luscious — a burger that's not just cookout fare, but worthy of starring at a bonafide dinner party. 

We'd happily tear into a pesto burger at any time of the year, 24/7/365, but summertime is an especially great time for serving these to your loved ones. Not just because the warmer months are the natural season for outdoor grilling and increased general burger consumption, but also because summer is when you'll really notice your garden basil plants going crazy with lush green leaves. You can grow endless basil from one store-bought plant with a simple tip, and the natural thought process when one has an abundance of basil is always spinning up some homemade pesto. Even if you spring for the jarred kind at the supermarket, however, pesto burgers will impart sunny brightness even in the middle of winter.

On Reddit, social media users are full of hints for topping the "perfect" pesto burger. On one thread, mozzarella was used, along with thick slices of ripe tomato — a direction that keeps things firmly in the Italian wheelhouse. "Extremely tasteful choice of toppings" another Redditor enthused when they beheld a pesto burger with pepper jack and crispy red onion. We've also seen Reddit take on a smash burger loaded in brilliant green pesto and made gooey with caramelized onions. Sounds perfect to us, but another commenter suggested adding mushrooms to take things over the top. Feeling really luxurious? Make like another user and stuff your burger patty with mozz cheese, Juicy Lucy-style, before slathering on the pesto.

Ourselves, we'd love to really play up the herbal notes in the pesto with some pungent feta or goat cheese and pickled onions — don't be afraid of big flavors! Roasted red pepper? Absolutely! Note that basil pesto isn't the only pesto that you'll love on burgers ... you can make pesto out of almost any green and tweak the flavor profile in fun and delicious ways. (Try beet tops, for instance.)

Beef burgers shine with the pesto treatment, but you can execute a similar maneuver with a turkey or chicken burger, or even veggie options. We love a thick portobello "burger" with pesto, or even an Impossible patty. Pesto really is the great common denominator when it comes to burgers of all stripes — it tastes good, it's packed in nutrients, and it plays well with scads of other yummy ingredients that elevate your meal.