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Few other things give us as much a sense of comfort as burgers. But our love of burgers exceeds our interest in eating that quantity of beef. Here are some traditional burgers to satisfy you when you're craving a classic patty—as well as a bevy of burgers made from fish, pork, and veggies—to keep you burger happy without busting your gut. Many of these are healthy enough to keep on your dinner menu even after healthy new year's resolutions (inevitably) take hold. Just don't expect them all to pair well with ketchup and mustard.
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New Englandah Burgah
The burgers themselves have a faint sweetness from the maple syrup, and this is enhanced by the grilled apples; the salty crunch of the bacon and the tang of cheddar provide the perfect counterpoints. This is a burger that requires a ravenous appetite and begs to be eaten in generous mouthfuls. Get the recipe on Food52.
Suzanne Goin's Grilled Pork Burgers
There are perfect burgers made of beef, salt, and pepper. This is not one of those burgers. This recipe takes perfect burger theory to another level by looking first within. Lard the burger with minced bacon and fresh Mexican chorizo and flavor it with sautéed aromatics. It turns out that in rethinking the perfect burger, it's what's inside that counts. Get the recipe on Food52.
Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Most of the ingredients for these will already be in your pantry or freezer, and other than the couple hours of required chilling, these burgers come together in about 20 minutes. The quinoa gives the exterior a pleasant crunch. Get the recipe on Food52.
Tuna Burgers With Wasabi-Ginger Mayo
Chopped sushi-grade tuna is mixed with fresh ginger and scallions, molded into patties, pan fried and then topped with cucumber, sprouts and a zippy pickled ginger and wasabi-infused mayonnaise. Get the recipe on Food52.
Lamb Burgers With Cilantro Yogurt
Ground lamb makes for a sumptuous burger requiring nothing more than a bit of salt and pepper. The tang of the cilantro yogurt sauce cuts the richness, keeping the lamb from tasting gamey. Get the recipe on Food52.
Black Bean and Corn Burgers
These veggie burgers are a little bit spicy, thanks to a mixture of paprika, cumin, and chili, and a little bit sweet, thanks the corn. They've got texture, taste, and tons of nutrition, too. Get the recipe on Food52.
Grilled Lakehouse Burger
This burger mix bumps up the umami just for good measure, and it pays handsomely in the end. Make a build-your-own-burger platter with lots of fresh stuff: Bibb lettuce, fresh cucumbers, pickles, fat slices of homegrown tomatoes, grilled red onion, and cheeses of all kinds. Get the recipe on Food52.
Smoky Pork Burgers With Fennel and Red Cabbage Slaw
The perfect solution to overcome subpar pork burgers: just add bacon. Finely chopped bacon keeps the burgers moist, and some great aromatics—fennel seed, onion and smoked paprika—add rich flavor. Get the recipe on Food52.
Shrimp Burgers With Roasted Garlic-Orange Aioli
This burger provides a spunky break from beef, pork, and turkey, opting instead for fresh shrimp dotted with confetti-like accents of red pepper, fennel fronds and orange zest. In the accompanying aioli, mellow, floral flavors of roasted garlic and orange shine, and it is cleverly used not once but twice: to bind the shrimp patty and to layer on just before biting down. Get the recipe on Food52.
Burger With Spicy Slaw
Not for wimps, this burger has layers of flavor—and heat. The sweet-spicy glaze caramelizes as the beef patties sizzle on the grill, and the crunchy slaw gets fierier as it sits. Get the recipe on Food52.