Gluten Free Miso Glazed Hamburgers with Bagel Buns

Nothing says summer to me like the perfectly grilled burger. It’s a taste I love so much that I enjoy ordering a fancy gourmet burger from time to time at restaurants around town like Clocked! and Grindhouse Killer Burgers. They were my inspiration for coming up with my recipe for Gluten Free Miso Glazed Hamburgers with Bagel Buns.

It’s wonderful to see that many places are offering their customers gluten free hamburger buns. However, I have a beef (pun intended) with most burger buns – regular or gluten free. They’re too small, they fall apart, and they’re usually tasteless. If you buy them from the store for a party, you’re usually stuck with a few leftover buns that quickly get moldy or stale.

That’s why I’m serving my Gluten Free Miso Glazed Hamburgers on Udi’s Gluten Free Bagels. Yes, Udi’s Gluten Free makes gluten free buns. But they’re on the small side and don’t do well if you make big burgers with lots of add-ons like sauces, veggies and cheese. Plus, if you have leftover bagels, just eat them for breakfast or use them for sandwiches the rest of the week.

Udi’s Gluten Free has five type of bagels – Cinnamon Raisin, Whole Wheat, Plain, the Mighty (high protein and fiber), and their Everything Goes (high protein and fiber). They’re all delicious, so pick whatever you think would go with your burger. And if you’re worried about the whole, just plug it with some lettuce or a bit of gluten free bread.

In praise of cooking with miso

Miso (also called miso paste or soybean paste) is a thick paste-like substance that’s usually made from fermented soybeans. It’s either tan, brown or reddish in color, salty and traditionally used to make Japanese miso soup. I like using it to make stir fry, salad dressings, or anytime I want to add a slightly salty taste to my cooking. It’s sort of tastes like soy sauce, but not as strong. Besides soybeans, miso can be made from barley, rice, and even chickpeas. You can find it at health food stores and Asian markets. If you go to an Asian market, you’ll find a bigger variety of miso – organic, red, white, and mixed.

If you’re new to using miso, buy one or two varieties in small quantities and experiment. Some varieties can be very salty, so add a small quantity at a time and taste. Add miso to your stir-fries, soups, and curries. Mix miso with some melted butter or olive oil and slather it on fish, chicken or beef steaks. Add miso to your sautéed vegetable or in the cooking water when making quinoa or rice. Miso stays good in your refrigerator for a very long time, too.

Many people claim that miso has health benefits and that’s it’s a good source of B vitamins and has probiotic properties since it’s a fermented food. I’m not a nutritionist or health professional, so I won’t make any claims except to say that miso is delicious!

Making a Gluten Free Miso Glazed Hamburgers with Bagel Buns

I originally came up with this Gluten Free Miso Glaze for stir fry with leftover pork. Why not bring the taste of Asian stir-fry to a burger? I add a few veggies like sliced peppers and Romaine lettuce for crunch and sautéed red onions for sweetness. And it’s not a burger if you don’t have cheese, though you can leave it off if you wish. Since it was so hardy, I couldn’t see putting it on a regular bun, could you? An Udi’s Plain Bagel was perfect!

Leftover miso glaze (the one used as the burger condiment) can be used on steamed veggies, rice or leftover bagels with deli meat the next day.

Gluten Free Miso Glazed Hamburgers with Bagel Buns

Ingredients

• For Gluten Free Miso Glaze
• 1/4 cup white miso
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• For Hamburgers on Bagel Buns
• Gluten Free Miso Glaze, divided
• 4 hamburger patties
• Veggies for serving hamburgers – lettuce leaves, thinly sliced peppers, sautéed onions, etc.
• Thin cheese slices
• 4 Udi’s Gluten Free Bagels, cut in half

Directions

For Gluten Free Miso Glaze

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

Stir over medium heat until miso has dissolved and mixture starts to bubble.

Divide sauce in half. One half will be spread on to raw hamburger patties. Second half will be used a burger condiment on buns. (You are dividing the miso glaze so there’s no cross-contamination between the glaze used on the raw hamburger.)

For Hamburgers on Bagel Buns

Spread miso glaze one each side of hamburger patty. (Throw out any unused miso glaze as it may have been contaminated with juices from raw hamburger meat.) Grill patties until cooked through.

While patties are cooking, toast the bagels and spread them with the miso glaze you saved to use as a burger condiment.

To assemble burgers, combine bagel buns with cooked burger patties and additions like cheese, sliced peppers, sautéed onions, and lettuce as desired. You can cut the bagel burger in half if you wish. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 20 Minutes

Servings: 4 burgers

Serving size: 1 burger per person

Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi's Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.