Beef Patties Over Pineapple Salad
Juicy, spiced beef patties seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, and turmeric, grilled or pan-seared and served over a bright pineapple salad with cucumbers, sweet peppers, and a squeeze of lime. Simple to make for a college kid, delicious everyone else.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad
Keyword: Easy Meals
Servings: 3
Author: Shelly
Beef Patties
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 small garlic cloves - crushed or grated
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 –2 tablespoons olive oil
Pineapple Express Salad
- 1 to 2 cups cubed pineapple or mango
- 2 Persian cucumbers - diced
- 6 mini sweet peppers or 1 bell pepper - remove seeds, chopped
- 1 Serrano pepper* - chopped — optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- Salt
Make the patty mixture: Put the spices and salt in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic and mix. Add the ground beef and mix and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside while preparing the salad.
Make the salad: Put all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well.
Shape the patties: Roll the beef mixture into balls slightly bigger than a ping pong ball and place on a plate. About 12 patties
On the grill: Heat the grill to high heat. Using long metal tongs or long chopsticks, place the balls on the grill. Lower the heat and close the hood. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3–5 minutes. We like them cooked medium.
On a skillet: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil or tallow (beef fat) in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties, leaving some space between them — don't overcrowd the skillet or they'll steam instead of brown. Cook in batches if needed. Immediately lower the heat to medium. Cook without moving them for 4–5 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes for medium. It can get messy and splatter oil, so lower the heat if needed or cover with a grease splatter screen.
Serve the salad in deep plates and top with the patties.
- You can press the patties and make burgers instead.
- To make them more kabob-ish: add 1 small grated onion (strain the liquid) and chopped parsley to the beef mixture.
- The longer the beef rests with the seasoning, the tastier the patties. The salt draws out moisture from the meat, which then dissolves the spices and gets reabsorbed, seasoning the meat from the inside out. If you're cooking within 30–60 minutes, keep the mixture on the counter. Otherwise, keep it in the fridge and remove it 30 minutes before cooking.