Grilled Lamb Burgers with Goat Cheese & Caramelized onions are perfect for the summer grilling season. The lamb burgers are seasoned with a red wine reduction, as are the caramelized onions, then they’re topped with creamy goat cheese and peppery arugula. Yum!
I teamed up with American Lamb to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
Those of you who know me by now know that I love my wine. And while red wine generally takes a backseat in the summertime, I still love cooking with it! Red wine imparts such a great flavor to dishes, especially when you’re cooking with red meat and savory recipes.
This lamb burger recipe is a bit of a twist on my original Red Wine Burgers recipe. I’m swapping lamb in for the beef, and topping them with deliciously jammy, caramelized (red wine spiked) onions, creamy goat cheese and peppery arugula.
These grilled lamb burgers are a flavor bomb.
There is absolutely no need to reach for an expensive bottle of wine when you’re making this lamb burger recipe.
I used a Cabernet-Merlot blend from one of those jumbo bottles that you find in the grocery store, and then used the remaining wine to whip up a yummy red wine sangria. Which may just be a perfect pairing with these savory lamb burgers.
The plan of attack for getting lots of yummy red wine flavor into the burgers is creating a red wine reduction.
It’s simple to do by simmering your wine with a bit of brown sugar for 20-30 minutes until it thickens up a bit and becomes concentrated. Then, whisk in some butter. A bit of the red wine reduction will be added to the lamb patty mixture.
The rest will be used to baste the burgers as they cook away.
When they’re finished, they’re the most beautiful color and SO flavorful.
I’ve mentioned before how I prefer cooking with American Lamb, but just to recap, here’s why I choose it over imported lamb:
- By choosing American Lamb, you’re supporting local farmers and ranchers throughout the US.
- Raising lamb in the US is a family affair with more than 80,000 family owned operations.
- Sheep improve pasture quality by recycling vital nutrients back into the soil, minimizing erosion and encouraging plant growth.
- The majority of sheep in the states graze pastures for most of their lives.
Wine pairings for lamb burgers with goat cheese
- Syrah
- Cabernet
- Zinfandel
- MORE —-> my 8 favorite wine pairings with lamb.
More lamb recipes:
- Lamb Stir Fry with Green Beans
- Slow Cooker Lamb Curry
- Lemon Orzo Bowls with Lamb & Tzatziki
- Grilled Lamb Kebabs with Basil Tahini Sauce
- Broiled Lamb Chops with Mint Mustard Sauce
- Sheet Pan Lamb Dinner
- Instant Pot Pasta with Lamb & Mint
- Grilled Rack of Lamb with Pistachio Basil Pesto
- Grilled Lamb Chops with Spicy Peanut Sauce
More burger recipes:
- Veggie Burgers with Pickled Cabbage & Tahini Sauce
- Cheeseburger Salad with Special Sauce
- Green Chile Cheeseburgers
- Red Wine Burgers
- French Dip Burgers
Sides for burgers:
- German Potato Salad
- Grilled Potato Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad
- Arugula Salad
- Summer Pasta Salad
- Click here for even MORE Sides for Burgers
Lamb Burgers with Goat Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 burger buns
- 4 ounces goat cheese (softened)
- 1 cup baby arugula
Caramelized onions:
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 large red onion (thinly sliced (about 2 cups))
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup red wine
Instructions
- Boil wine and brown sugar in a small skillet until reduced by half, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the onions. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and stir, cover and cook about 10 minutes longer, until onion is caramelized and liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
- Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Mix lamb, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup wine mixture in a bowl. Form meat into four patties. Grill until brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and brush with additional wine mixture. Continue grilling until cooked to desired doneness, turning and brushing occasionally with wine mixture, 4-6 minutes.
- Grill the buns, cut sides down, until lightly browned. Top bottom buns with burgers, then caramelized onions and arugula. Spread goat cheese on top buns and place on top. Serve immediately.
We made these last night and they were absolutely delicious!! Well done!
I’m so glad you liked them Leah – They’re my husband’s new favorite!
Amazing recipe! We used wild arugula from our yard and Saint Andre cheese. Outstanding!
Sounds delicious Amanda!
These lamb burgers were so juicy! The combination of flavors with the cheese and arugula was fantastic! Definitely a keeper. Thank you for the fabulous recipe!
Thank you Debra!
Hi — the ingredients list 3 tbs of butter for the burgers, but then there is no mention of adding it to the burgers when making them . Have I overlooked something? Also, the recipe could benefit from some clarity around amount of wine total for reduction, and actual reduced amount used in the recipe. Thanks for the great ideas !
Hi Ian – The butter goes in in step 1 of the recipe instructions.
The store was out of ground lamb, husband doesn’t like ground Turkey, so I used ground chicken. Found out there’s a fine line between Caramelized onions and slightly burned onions, but the wine reduction and onions really elevated the humble chicken! Feta and arugula were perfect. Great dish! Hubby said it was VERY good.
Thank you for giving it a try Cindy!