Grilled Eggplant burgers with Halloumi and Pesto Spread

By lorik

Ingredients

• For the pesto:
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, tightly packed
• 1 cup parsley leaves, tightly packed
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• For the burgers:
• Olive oil spray
• 1 large eggplant, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 6 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 6 burger buns

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

In the bowl of your food processor, blend together the cilantro, parsley, mint leaves, pistachios, garlic cloves, shallot, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, white wine vinegar, chili flakes and salt and pepper until pesto comes together. Set aside the prepared pesto until you are ready to assemble the burgers.

Season the eggplant rounds with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Generously grease a grill pan with olive oil spray and heat over your largest flame. Once the grill pan is hot, add a layer of the seasoned eggplant slices and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until dark grill marks appear. Add more olive oil spray as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer the cooked eggplant to a serving plate.

Spray the pan with more olive oil and add the halloumi slices in a single layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until grilled.

Once the eggplant and the halloumi slices are grilled, assemble the burgers. Generously spread the pesto on the inside of the buns and layer on the eggplant rounds and halloumi slices. (In the pictures above, I halved the halloumi slices into square pieces). Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Per serving, based on 6 servings. (% daily value)
Calories 231 Fat 18.6 g (28.7%) Saturated 5.9 g (29.7%) Carbs 11.5 g (3.8%) Fiber 5.1 g (20.2%) Sugars 5.6 g Protein 7.3 g (14.5%) Cholesterol 25.2 mg (8.4%) Sodium 274 mg (11.4%)