A juicy burger patty with extra umami, creamy herb flavored Boursin cheese, caramelized onions with balsamic, and peppery arugula, this unique burger recipe is a special one!
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This recipe is a little different that your standard burger recipe. What makes it unique? Well-- into the ground meat, there is an added 5 oz. of ground crimini mushrooms. Doing so is not only delicious, it is nutritious as well!
An added note: I used ground venison as the meat, but ground beef works just as well! Here is another simple ground venison burger recipe, if you are interested (it has butter grated into the patty!).
Mushrooms pair really well with arugula, like with this mushroom arugula frittata. And the balsamic onions added sweetness and sauciness.
I love Boursin as a burger topping, it's so creamy! We love it in this Creamy Boursin Pasta with Chicken, as well.
Why make a blended burger with mushrooms?
So you may have heard of and enjoyed sauteed mushrooms as a burger topping, but blended right in? Here's why it's a good idea.
- It's sustainable. Using less meat when possible is a good option to cook more sustainably while still enjoying your favorite meals. To take this even further, I used deer meat that my husband harvested for us. If you are using beef, I suggest using a quality meat like Organic Prairie, as they are known for humane treatment and best practices.
- It's delicious. The "umami" or savory taste you get from adding the mushrooms is really special. Plus, the mushrooms give the burger patty a light, almost fluffy feel to it. This also makes it so tender.
- It's nutritious. Crimini mushrooms are full of vitamins and minerals. Crimini or "baby bella" mushrooms have fiber, potassium, may prevent against cancer, and are known to help gut health.
More delicious mushroom recipes
How to grind mushrooms to the texture of meat?
The key to adding ground mushrooms into your burger meat is making sure everything is the same texture. The best way to do that is to use a food processor! A few quick pulses will give you a consistently sized texture to your mushrooms that resembles that of ground meat. All in a fraction of the time!
My favorite food processor is from Cuisinart. It is simple to use, has a big bowl, and works very effectively.
Ingredients
- ground venison (or ground beef)
- crimini mushrooms
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- butter
- fresh baby arugula
- yellow onion
- Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese
- balsamic vinegar
How to make a Burger with Boursin Cheese
Place fresh crimini mushrooms in the bowl of food processor and pulse for 15-20 seconds. The final result should resemble the texture and consistency of ground meat.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add ground venison, ground crimini mushrooms, ½ tsp. salt, and pepper.
Using your hands, mix ingredients together to combine.
Form four good size burger patties and place on a plate to the side.
Heat 3 tbsp. of butter in a cast iron skillet and add thinly sliced onions. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add remaining salt and cook down for an additional 5 minutes until the onions are caramelized. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
Remove to a separate plate and add in remaining 1 tbsp. of butter. Once melted, cook burgers over medium heat until desired doneness. About 4-5 minutes per side for medium.
Spread ¼ of the Boursin cheese mixture on the bottom of each burger bun.
Top with ¼ of the balsamic onions, 1 cooked blended venison burger patty, and ¼ of the fresh baby arugula.
Finish with burger bun top and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
These burgers don't have any kind of binder or "filler" in them to hold the meat together, they are simply mushrooms, meat, and salt and pepper. If you are cooking them in a cast iron skillet per the recipe, this isn't a problem-- just flip them gently. If you choose to make the burgers on the grill, you may want to add an egg and pack them more tightly when forming to help keep their form.
Variations and Substitutions
- I used ground venison in this recipe because that's what we had in the freezer but ground beef would work great.
- Finish the burgers with other toppings if you would like--sauteed bell peppers, fresh tomato slices, bacon, and stone ground mustard would all be delicious additions.
- You can make this burger dairy free by using olive oil to saute the onions and fry the burgers and vegan boursin cheese in place of the standard variety.
- I know not everyone is a fan of the peppery taste of arugula. If that's you, butter lettuce or bib lettuce would be much milder and taste great.
Storage
Store any extras in the fridge in an airtight container. I like to keep burgers separate from toppings, buns, spreads, etc. when there are leftovers just to keep all the textures as fresh as possible and give myself the chance to heat up the burger patty separately. My husband doesn't mind eating them cold so he puts everything together and wraps it up in tinfoil before storing it in the fridge for later.
Boursin Burger with Mushrooms and Arugula
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 5 oz. crimini mushrooms
- ¾ tsp. salt divided
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 4 tbsp. butter divided
- 1 ½ cups baby arugula
- 1 medium sized yellow onion thinly sliced
- 5.2 oz. Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Place fresh crimini mushrooms in the bowl of food processor and pulse for 15-20 seconds. The final result should resemble the texture and consistency of ground meat.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add ground venison, ground crimini mushrooms, ½ tsp. salt, and pepper.
- Using your hands, mix ingredients together to combine.
- Form four good size burger patties and place on a plate to the side.
- Heat 3 tbsp. of butter in a cast iron skillet and add thinly sliced onions. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add remaining salt and cook down for an additional 5 minutes until the onions are caramelized. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove to a separate plate and add in remaining 1 tbsp. of butter. Once melted, cook burgers over medium heat until desired doneness. About 4-5 minutes per side for medium.
- Spread ¼ of the Boursin cheese mixture on the bottom of each burger bun.
- Top with ¼ of the balsamic onions, 1 cooked blended venison burger patty, and ¼ of the fresh baby arugula.
- Finish with burger bun top and enjoy!
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