Boost Burgers' Flavor 10x With This Italian Sauce

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There are many tips for making the perfect burgers. For instance, use a blend of beef cuts with the optimal amount of fat for juicy patties. Make a subtle indent in the center of each patty to help them maintain their shape as they cook. You should also thoroughly season the meat and add moisture to ensure tender, flavorful results — and pesto can take care of both.

For the uninitiated, pesto is a raw sauce of Genovese origin. While the word pesto, which comes from the Italian word pestare, meaning crush, can refer to any ingredient crushed to a particular consistency, it most often refers to an herby paste or loose sauce. The Genovese iteration we're most familiar with stars basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Originally made by hand with a mortar and pestle, it's now produced on a much larger scale and available in stores.

Pesto can make burgers significantly more flavorful with minimal effort. The herbs add color and brightness — you can substitute parsley, spinach, or other greens, but traditional basil is notoriously peppery. Garlic brings flavor and fragrance. The cheese offers salt and savoriness, while pine nuts and oil bind the meat while lending a nutty taste. Pesto's vibrancy cuts and complements the richness of beef while also keeping it from drying out. Adding pesto to burgers guarantees supremely moist meat (even if you use reduced-fat beef), and its ready-to-use nature saves you time at the cutting board.

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Pesto as we know it dates back to the 16th century. But an earlier version of the sauce — moretum, an herb paste — can be tracked to ancient Rome. Pesto Genovese was popularized in the 1800s as basil became more commonplace. It's versatile in the sense you can substitute several greens, nuts, or cheeses for the OG ingredients (like arugula, walnuts, and Grana Padano, for example). But top-tier pesto uses quality ingredients for the freshest scent, most appetizing color, and balanced flavor.

Of all the store-bought pesto options, several food publications swear by Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco, which boasts citric acid and black pepper. Another high-ranking option is Gotham Greens Classic Pesto, which is freshly made with the bare essentials (however, it's not shelf stable as a result). Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Wegmans also offer solid store-brand pestos.

If you choose to make a basil pesto sauce from scratch for a pesto-infused burger, save yourself time by blitzing it in a food processor or blender. However, if you're feeling ambitious, use a mortar and pestle to release the full essence and aroma of the basil without completely crushing the leaves. Either way, incorporating about a quarter-cup of pesto into a pound or one-and-a-half pounds of beef should be sufficient. Try it with this basil pesto smashburgers recipe, which gets topped with tangy pesto aioli.