- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Wheat free
- Shellfish free
- Seafood free
- Healthier living
- Diabetes friendly
- No added sugar
- High in dietary fibre
- High in protein
- Over 4 serves veg or fruit
These delicious healthy burgers are hot and juicy, loaded with onion, mayo and tomato sauce and sandwiched between cold, crisp lettuce ‘buns’.
- Serves4
- Cook time30 minutes
- Prep time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1kg orange sweet potato, cut into wedges
- 500g Coles extra lean beef mince
- 400g can Coles chickpeas, rinsed, drained, crushed
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 free range egg, lightly beaten
- 4 slices light tasty cheese
- 2 small iceberg lettuces, washed
- 1 tbs light whole egg mayonnaise
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Place the sweet potato on an oven tray and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Bake for 30 mins or until tender.
Step 2
Meanwhile, combine mince, chickpeas, onion powder, paprika and egg in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 4 even patties.
Step 3
Heat a large frying pan or barbecue flat plate over high heat. Spray patties lightly with oil spray. Cook 4 mins each side or until browned and cook through. Top each patty with a slice of cheese for the last 2 mins of cooking time, until slightly melted.
Step 4
Use a large serrated knife to cut 4cm-thick cheeks off each lettuce to make 8 buns. Divide half the lettuce among serving plates. Top with the burger patties, mayonnaise, tomato and onion. Top with the remaining lettuce. Serve immediately with sweet potato wedges.
Recipe tip
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Smart swap: You can use chicken, pork or turkey mince in place of beef mince for the patties if you prefer.
Clever storage: To freeze, place the meat patties, cooked or uncooked, in airtight containers or freezer-safe resealable bags and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Give our bunless burger a try: you won’t be disappointed
Are you craving a juicy meat patty doused in tomato sauce and mustard but don’t want that inevitable bloated feeling after devouring a rich, heavy burger? We’ve got a delicious solution that’s much lighter yet as tasty – and it’s good for you, too. Our healthy beef burgers balance heartier flavours with fresh ingredients to lighten the load by replacing traditionally heavy burger buns with crisp, fresh lettuce leaves and adding chickpeas to the burger patty for extra fibre and nutrition. Cold lettuce ‘buns’ perfectly complement the warm, freshly cooked burger patties for a healthier burger that can be whipped up in under an hour. For other healthy recipe ideas, try these chicken and veggie nuggets as a burger patty and our air fryer turkey meatballs.
Tips to make this healthy burger recipe
When preparing your burgers, avoid overworking the patty mixture, otherwise, the meat can get tough. To achieve the best bunless burger, spread some mustard on one side of the patty and fry this side first. Flip and fry the other side, then flip again so the mustard side is on the pan. Place a slice of cheese on the side of the patty that’s facing up and cover the pan with a lid so the cheese can melt on the patty. You could also caramelise some sliced brown onions and add them to these bunless beef burgers. Once cooked, rest your burgers for around 5 minutes. This will ensure the hot burgers don’t melt the lettuce buns.
What is the best lettuce for burgers without buns?
Lettuce is such a wonderful healthy bun alternative for burgers. The best lettuce varieties to use are iceberg, romaine or green leaf lettuce. You can chop the lettuce as outlined in Step 4 to make the ‘buns’. Another way is to cut it into quarters, so you have 4 big wedges. Remove what’s left of the hard lettuce stem from each wedge, separating the thinner outer leaves from the thicker inner leaves. Each of your lettuce ‘buns’ will comprise around four outer leaves stacked together. If you prefer, you can swap lettuce for grilled portobello mushrooms to use as the bun.
How to store lettuce burgers
Don’t put your burger in the lettuce if you want to make it in advance and store it. Instead, put each element in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you don’t want to use too many containers, store the ‘hot’ burger ingredients together in one container and the ‘cold’ ingredients in another.
For more inspiration check out our latest collection of fresh and healthy recipe ideas.
