Italian Burger with Crispy Prosciutto

This Italian Burger with Crispy Prosciutto is packed with texture and flavor. This burger features a juicy, flavorful beef patty topped with mozzarella, crispy pan-fried prosciutto, sautéed onions, peppery arugula, and a zesty aioli. Piled on top of a crusty ciabatta roll, this burger is a mouthful of deliciousness.

All about this burger

Ok, let’s face it.  Italy isn’t known for its burgers.  So, this burger is “Italian-inspired.”  The flavors of this burger are inspired by my favorite Italian ingredients: garlic, onion, balsamic, arugula, prosciutto, and mozzarella. 

I love burger night, and I always find it fun to experiment with different flavor profiles when it comes to burgers.  Burgers don’t have to just be about American cheese and ketchup (although that’s delicious, of course).  They can also be a really fun way to explore ingredients, textures and themes for food.

Sometimes when I am in a food rut, I think of a theme or type of cuisine I am in the mood for; a lot of times, burgers are the perfect solution.  You can build a burger around an entire nationality to totally kick up your burger night.  Think: Southwestern style, Mediterranean, and now, Italian.

It’s a great way to feel creative, without getting complicated.

What you’ll need to make the Italian Burger with Crispy Prosciutto

Here’s your ingredient list:

• 96/4 extra lean ground beef
  • You can find this at Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and some local supermarkets.
• dehydrated onion
• balsamic vinegar
• salt
• garlic powder
• light mayo
• garlic cloves
• lemon juice
• fresh basil
• ciabatta rolls
  • I get mine from Trader Joe’s, they are 150 calories and 4 WW points each
  • You can also use regular hamburger buns.
• prosciutto di Parma
• onion
• fat free mozzarella
• arugula
• red wine vinegar

It might look like a lot of ingredients, but really it is just a bunch of things to create flavorful components of this burger.  From start to finish, this recipe only takes about 30 minutes to cook and assemble.

For this recipe, we are essentially creating a few pieces and then putting it all together: the burger patties, the aioli, and the toppings.

Do I like arugula?  Arugula is just a form of lettuce, with a peppery kick.  It is absolutely delicious, and I use it all the time! If you feel more comfortable, you can use regular mixed greens.

How to make Italian burgers with crispy prosciutto 

Cooking the prosciutto 

For this step, all you need to do is cook the thin prosciutto pieces on a frying pan on medium heat until they are just crisp, but not burnt.  This should take between 5 and 10 minutes, but just keep your eye on them.  Since the prosciutto can be eaten uncooked, there is no set time here.

Once cooked, remove the prosciutto from the pan and set aside until you are ready to assemble.

Making the burger patties

Simply combine the patty ingredients in a small bowl, and mix with your hands.  Once it’s thoroughly mixed, divide the meat mixture into four equal-sized patties (around 4 oz each).

Cooking the onions and the patties

Next, let’s prepare the onions.  First, thinly slice an onion and add it to the same frying pan you used to cook the prosciutto.  Add some olive oil spray and a pinch of kosher salt.  Cook the onions for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, you can push the onions aside and add the patties to the frying pan to cook.

Cook the patties for 3 minutes per side for a medium internal temperature.  Then, add 1/4 cup of the cheese on top of each burger.  Turn the heat off of the stove, and cover the pan with the lid for the cheese to melt.

Putting it all together

To make the aioli, simply combine the aioli ingredients in a small bowl.  Toss the arugula with the red wine vinegar and salt. Then, you can build your burger.

Cut your rolls in half, and add 1 tablespoon of the aioli divided between the top and the bottom bun.  Next, add the patty with the cheese, top with the cooked onions, the crispy prosciutto, and finally the dressed arugula.

This burger is ideal served with some crispy roasted (or air fried) potatoes.  Absolutely delicious!

Italian Burger with Crispy Prosciutto

This Italian Burger with Crispy Prosciutto is packed with texture and flavor. This burger features a juicy, flavorful beef patty topped with mozzarella, crispy pan-fried prosciutto, sautéed onions, peppery arugula, and a zesty aioli. Piled on top of a crusty ciabatta roll, this burger is a mouthful of deliciousness.

5 from 19 votes

print pin rate

course: dinner,lunch,main course

cuisine: Italian

keyword: aioli,beef burger,ciabatta,prosciutto

prep time: 5 minutes minutes

cook time: 25 minutes minutes

servings: 4 burgers

calories: 430kcal

author: Steph

cook modeprevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• frying pan

Ingredients

Patties

• 1 lb 96/4 extra lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Aioli

• ¼ cup light mayo
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon basil, fresh, chopped

Toppings

• 4 ciabatta rolls
• 4 slices prosciutto di parma
• 1 onion
• 1 cup fat free mozzarella
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

Prosciutto and Onion

• In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the slices of prosciutto until they become crispy like bacon.
• Set the crispy prosciutto aside until assembly time.
• Thinly slice the onion.
• Add olive oil spray to the same frying pan, and sauté the thinly sliced onion over medium heat with a pinch of kosher salt.
• Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelized.

Patties

• Meanwhile, combine the lean ground beef with the dehydrated onion, balsamic vinegar, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl.
• Mix thoroughly, and then form four 4-oz patties from the mixture.
• Add cooking spray to the pan, and move the onions aside. Add the burgers to the same pan.
• Cook the burgers for about 3 minutes per side for a medium internal temperature.
• Turn the heat off. Top each burger with ¼ cup of the mozzarella, and cover the pan with a lid to melt the cheese.

Aioli

• In another small bowl, combine the mayo and lemon juice.
• Grate in the 2 garlic cloves using a zester or cheese grater. This ensures there are no large chunks of garlic in your sauce.
• Stir in the fresh basil. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Burger Assembly

• In a separate bowl, combine the arugula and red wine vinegar, and season with a pinch of kosher salt.
• Spread the aioli on the top and bottom of each ciabatta roll, then assemble your burgers (bottom of bun, patty, crispy prosciutto, onions, arugula, top of bun).

Notes

WW Points:

• 9 WW points per burger (all plans)

WW PersonalPoints™: Click here to track this recipe in the WW app.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger with cheese, 1/4 cup arugula, 1 slice prosciutto, 1 tbsp aioli, onions | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1016mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 526IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetsavoryandsteph or tag #sweetsavoryandsteph!

Check out these other fun burgers:

• Reuben-Style Cheeseburgers
• Greek Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Salad and Yogurt Sauce
• Southwest Chicken Burgers

Related Posts