Juicy, spiced-up lamb shawarma burgers topped with feta-yogurt sauce and fennel slaw. Easy to make and so delicious!
Devouring a great burger has to be the most satisfying way to eat a complete meal with your hands (okay, I realize that’s open to argument).
These spiced-up juicy shawarma lamb burgers deliver big time — they have layers of flavor, spice, cool and creamy things going on. You’re going to love them!
Everyone loves a burger, the iconic American sandwich. I am crazy about making and eating them because their construction — layers of ground meat, sauces, condiments, vegetables and bread — are open to so many creative variables beyond basic beef and ketchup.
Lamb makes fantastic burgers.
Lamb’s earthy flavor pairs so well with spices and seasoning, making it a fun reason to experiment with stuff in the spice cabinet. For some reason lamb consumption in the United States is among the lowest compared to other countries in the world — an interesting story for another day.
Middle-Eastern fragrant spices are a natural partner with lamb, especially shawarma spice blends, associated with Eastern Mediterranean street cooking.
They contain a range of spices that vary from mix to mix, but most all have a base of the “sweet” ones like allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, often associated with sweet treats in European culture.
I mix up a small batches of my own shawarma-style blend to make these burgers, and it comes in handy to spice up other meats I like to grill too, like pork, beef and chicken.
I highly recommend that you make a batch of my simple green sauce to put on these, which makes them insanely delicious, I promise!
spiced shawarma lamb burgers with fennel slaw
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield makes 4 burgers
The most delicious spiced shawarma lamb burgers topped with fresh fennel slaw, spicy green sauce, yogurt and feta cheese.
Ingredients
Spice mix:
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Burgers:
- 1 ½ pounds ground lamb
- 1 small onion
Yogurt sauce:
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
Fennel slaw:
- 1 small fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced or shaved
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To serve:
- 4 burger buns or small pita, split and toasted
- Lettuce leaves and sprouts
- Thinly sliced cucumber
- Simple green sauce (recipe here); optional but delicious!
Instructions
- Stir the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg together in a small bowl to blend.
- Put the lamb in a large bowl. Grate the onion on a box grater and add to the lamb. Add the spice mix. Blend well with your hands or a large fork and form into 4 patties.
- Stir the feta and yogurt together in a bowl.
- Toss the fennel in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Grill or broil the burgers until cooked to your liking. Serve the burgers on buns or pita, topped with some of the feta-yogurt sauce, fennel slaw, green sauce, lettuce, cucumber and sprouts.
Courses meat
Cuisine burgers
Hi there! I’m Karen, a mother of two and a professionally trained cook certified in holistic nutrition.
As the recipe developer, photographer and publisher of Familystyle Food, I share recipes and tips for making easy seasonal meals that are healthy and flavorful. Learn more about me here.
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