Ground veal has a delicate flavor and tender texture that lends itself well to making an extraordinary burger that pairs best with simple, fresh ingredients. Our veal burgers feature Italian-style ingredients that include fresh mozzarella and a quick sauce made with diced tomato, sweet onion, balsamic vinegar, and fragrant basil.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground veal: Ground veal has a more tender texture than ground beef. When shopping, look for meat that is rosy pink in color with slight marbling for the best flavor. If you can’t get ground veal, you could substitute ground turkey.
- Basil: The burger is all about fresh flavor, and using fresh basil is essential to the final product. To make a chiffonade, stack the larger basil leaves together, roll like a cigar, and slice them crosswise into thin ribbons.
- Fresh mozzarella: The creamy melted texture of fresh mozzarella is the perfect complement to the delicate flavor and texture of the veal burger.
- Brioche buns: Soft, buttery brioche rolls are a bit of a splurge and the perfect choice for serving these veal burgers.
- Tomato: The sauce on these burgers is made with fresh tomatoes, butter, sweet onion, fresh basil, and a little balsamic vinegar. We think using fresh tomatoes is the way to go, but you could use drained, canned tomatoes as well (about 3/4 cup).
How to Make Veal Burgers with Fresh Tomato Sauce
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat ( for pan-searing instructions, see below).
- Place the ground veal, bread crumbs, cream, basil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl, and using your hands, mix well.
- Gently form the mixture into four equal patties and brush both sides of each burger with a bit of olive oil. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the tomato and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking just until the tomato begins to soften and break down, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside while you cook the burgers.
- Oil the grill grates, add the veal burgers and cook for 4 minutes on the first side.
- Flip and cook for 2 minutes longer, then top each burger with a slice of mozzarella cheese and continue grilling 2 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155°F.
- Remove from the grill, cover loosely with foil, and set aside to rest for 5 minutes (the internal temperature should rise about 5°F).
- While the veal burgers rest, lightly toast the rolls and stir the fresh basil into the tomato sauce.
- To serve, place a veal burger on each roll and top with tomato sauce.
Tips for Making Veal Burgers
Here are a few points to keep in mind while making this recipe.
- Start with quality meat: We recommend searching out ground veal with a rosy pink color, indicating that has likely been humanely raised. A little online research should help you find a reliable source in your area, but be sure to read labels, and don’t hesitate to ask questions of the butcher if you have any concerns.
- Season first: On its own, ground veal has a subtle, rich flavor, which is why the meat should be well seasoned before you form the patties. Keep it simple, using salt, pepper, and fresh herbs like the basil you’ll find in this recipe.
- The secret to moist burgers: To keep our veal burgers moist and tender, the meat mixture includes small quantities of panko crumbs and heavy cream. These two ingredients don’t add flavor or change the texture of the burgers, but they work together to retain the meat’s natural juices during cooking.
- Don’t overcook: When cooking your burgers, keep a close eye on them as you don’t want them to be overdone. Keep an instant–read thermometer on hand, test them for doneness after 8 minutes (4 minutes per side), and be sure to let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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What to Serve with Veal Burgers
These burgers make a pretty hearty meal all on their own, but we do like to add a side dish like our Crunchy Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks or a salad.
Veal Burgers with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Elevate your burger menu with these tender veal burgers topped with melted mozzarella and a sauce made from fresh tomatoes, butter, basil, and sweet onion.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground veal
- 1 tablespoon panko crumbs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese, about 1/4-inch thick each
- 4 burger buns, brioche if possible
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, minced
- 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat (see notes).
- Place the ground veal, bread crumbs, cream, basil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and using your hands, mix well.
- Gently form the mixture into four equal patties and brush both sides of each burger with a bit of olive oil. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the tomato and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking just until the tomato begins to soften and break down, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside while you cook the burgers.
- Oil the grill grates, add the veal burgers and cook for 4 minutes on the first side.
- Flip and cook for 2 minutes additional, then top each burger with a slice of mozzarella cheese and continue grilling 2 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155°F.
- Remove from the grill, cover loosely with foil, and set aside to rest for 5 minutes (the internal temperature should rise about 5°F).
- While the veal burgers rest, lightly toast the rolls and stir the fresh basil into the tomato sauce.
- To serve, place a veal burger on each roll and top with tomato sauce.
Recipe Notes
As an alternative to grilling, sear the burgers on both sides in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Transfer to a preheated 400°F oven and cook to an internal temperature of 155°F, about 4 minutes, adding the cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Veal Burgers with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
454
% Daily Value*
Fat
23
g
35
%
Saturated Fat
12
g
75
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
135
mg
45
%
Sodium
987
mg
43
%
Potassium
537
mg
15
%
Carbohydrates
27
g
9
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
33
g
66
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Vitamin A
784
IU
16
%
Vitamin C
6
mg
7
%
Calcium
241
mg
24
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.
Kate says
I found your blog while looking for ground veal burger recipes. While I only made the burger part of your recipe, not the sauce (I already had something else prepared), the results were excellent. As you know, veal burgers can be very dry and trickier than beef burgers to make successfully, but your addition of panko and a little fat (I didn’t have any heavy cream so I substituted labneh) and the combo of stovetop and a hot oven produced an outstanding result. Next time I’ll add the sauce!
Looking forward to exploring and cooking from your very appealing blog. Thank you!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Kate,
I’m glad our method for making the veal burger was a success. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let us know.