Mediterranean Smash Burger Recipe
“Balanced” and “smash burger” never really belonged in the same sentence—until this Mediterranean Smash Burger. It’s the burger glow-up nobody asked for and now everybody wants.
Here’s the move: we swapped the onions for Mt. Olive Pepperoncini—because if you’ve ever bitten into a perfectly briny, slightly spicy pepperoncini ring on a sandwich and felt your shoulders drop, you already know. Then we topped the whole thing with a chopped salad of Mt. Olive Roasted Red Peppers, Kalamata olives, fresh basil, oregano, and balsamic. It’s like the Greek deli case crashed your cookout—and we’re not mad about it.
There’s still a half pound of 80/20 beef. There’s still cheese (provolone, melty, doing its job). There’s still a brioche bun and a swipe of garlic aioli we’d happily eat by the spoon. But every bite of this thing hits different. The acid from the peppers cuts through the beef. The herbs wake everything up. The pepperoncini brings just enough heat to remind you you’re alive.
This is the smash burger you make when you want to look like you know what you’re doing—and you taste like you’ve been to Santorini.
PREP TIME
25 mins
COOK TIME
10 mins
SERVINGS
4
Ingredients
Garlic Aioli
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Mediterranean Seasoned Salt
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
Mediterranean Smash Burger
- 2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
- 12 oz Mt. Olive Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
- 2 oz kalamata olives, pitted & quartered
- 1 Tbsp freshly chopped basil
- 1 Tbsp freshly chopped oregano
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Neutral oil, for greasing griddle
- Mediterranean Seasoned Salt
- 12-16 Mt. Olive Pepperoncini, thinly sliced
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 4 brioche buns
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Mediterranean Smash Burger
Garlic Aioli
- In a ramekin, mix all ingredients until well-combined. Chill until ready for use.
Mediterranean Seasoned Salt
- Combine all ingredients in a ramekin and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
Mediterranean Smash Burger
- Form 8 even balls from the beef, then chill until ready for use (the colder the better when it’s grilling time).
- To Make Red Pepper & Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, add roasted red peppers, olives, basil, oregano, vinegar, and oil. Toss until well-integrated. Set aside.
- Preheat griddle to medium-high heat.
- Using the neutral oil, grease the griddle locations where you’ll be placing the beef balls.
- Place beef balls evenly spaced apart. Using a grill weight or your hand plus a piece of wax paper to cover the top of the beef all, smash down the beef so that it is about 1/2” thick. Season patties with Seasoned Salt to taste. Top with pepperoncini slices to taste. Cook patties for 2-3 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness.
- Flip patties, season with more Seasoned Salt, then top each patty with 1 slice of provolone. Cook for another 2-3 mins. Remove patties from grill by creating stacks of 2 patties. Set aside.
- Quickly toast cut side of all buns, about 1-2 mins. Remove from grill and set aside.
- To build each Mediterranean Smash Burger: Slather Garlic Aioli on 1 bun heel. Top heel with 1 stack of 2 patties. Top patties with Red Pepper & Olive Salad to taste. Then top it all with 1 bun crown. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!
The Mt. Olive MVPs Doing All the Heavy Lifting
Mt. Olive Pepperoncini are the unsung hero of this burger. Sliced thin and tucked under the smashed patty, they tag in for raw onion and bring a brightness onion just can’t touch—a clean, briny pop with a whisper of heat that hits every bite. They soften slightly under the cheese and beef juice, going from crunchy to almost pickled-jammy. It’s the move.
Mt. Olive Roasted Red Peppers are why this thing tastes like a Mediterranean vacation. Already roasted, already peeled, already swimming in their own sweet smoky liquid—so the chopped salad on top comes together in about 90 seconds. You could char and peel your own peppers, but you’ve also got a job. Mt. Olive did the prep work.
Pro tip on the Kalamatas. Pit and quarter them before tossing them in the salad. Big chunks fall off the burger. Quartered, they grip onto the peppers and behave themselves long enough to make it from bun to mouth.
Make It Ahead, Switch It Up
The aioli is a do-the-night-before move. It actually tastes better after the garlic and lemon mellow into the mayo overnight. Mix it up, pop it in the fridge, and you’ve already crossed off the most fiddly part of this recipe. Bonus: it doubles as a fry dip, a chip dip, and a sandwich slather.
The red pepper salad will keep for 2 days. The basil starts to brown after that, but the rest holds beautifully—just give it a stir before topping. Make a double batch and put it on eggs in the morning. Trust us.
Don’t have brioche? Don’t sweat it. Potato buns are the next-best move (soft, slightly sweet). Pretzel buns work if you want extra chew. A toasted ciabatta roll is fair game if you’re going extra Mediterranean. We’d skip the sesame seed bun—too distracting against all the herby stuff happening up top.
Want to swap the protein? Ground lamb is the obvious move and it’s incredible here. Ground turkey works if you bump the seasoned salt by 50%. Ground chicken can dry out fast on a smash—stay closer to medium and use a touch more oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular pickled peppers instead of Mt. Olive Pepperoncini?
You can, but the flavor changes. Mt. Olive Pepperoncini have a specific clean briny-sweet profile with mild heat that plays super well with beef. Banana peppers will be sweeter and milder. Hot pickled peppers will overpower the herb salad. Stick with pepperoncini if you can.
What’s the best beef-to-fat ratio for smash burgers?
80/20 is the sweet spot, and it’s what we call for here. Anything leaner (90/10, 93/7) will dry out the second you press it down on the griddle. The fat is what gives you those crispy lacy edges and keeps the patty juicy under all the toppings.
Do I need a flat-top griddle, or can I do this in a regular pan?
A cast iron skillet works great—you just have to work in batches because you need real surface area to smash. A regular non-stick pan won’t get hot enough for a proper crust. Big skillet, big heat, two rounds if you have to.
Can I make this Mediterranean Smash Burger lower carb?
Absolutely. Skip the bun, plate the patty stack on a bed of arugula, top with the red pepper salad and a drizzle of garlic aioli. You’re basically eating a Greek bowl with smashed beef on top. We’ve done it. It slaps.
PAIRINGS:
Mediterranean Smash Burger
Amber Lager
Barbera d'Asti
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