A burger wearing parm?  That’s haute…. errr hot.

Think the idea of making tomato sauce from scratch is too daunting?  Think again!  You can have yummy, homemade, grandma approved tomato sauce in about 30 minutes flat! 

Tomato Sauce:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add in olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add in garlic, onions, salt and pepper and sweat for about 5 minutes.  Add in the rest of your ingredients and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes and remove the bay leaves.

Burger:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp parsley
• 1/4 fennel seed
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 kaiser rolls, halved
• small handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Combine ground beef, parm and spices in a bowl and form into 4 patties.  Cook patties over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.  Top patties with a slice of provolone cheese and cover.  Allow about 2 minutes for the cheese to melt.

Meanwhile, place about a tablespoon of mozzarella on your kaiser rolls and toast to melt the cheese.  We did this in a toaster oven but if you don’t have one, just do them under the broiler for about a minute.

To serve, top your burger with some tomato sauce, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil.

Mangia!

Tips:

Toasting your own pine nuts is super quick and easy!  Just heat a small skillet over low heat and toss in your pine nuts.  No need to add oil as nuts have a ton of natural oils in them already.  Let them go for about 8 minutes or until they’re a toasty shade of brown.  Keep an eye on them though, they burn easily!