Find ways to use up excess ingredients to create a whole new dish

I have to say I am a bit of a sucker for homemade burgers, it is one of those meals that just makes me feel good, not matter my mood.  So the other day after I prepared too much balsamic marinate for my Balsamic Glazed Salmon I decided that I would attempt a new burger idea.  So next time you make a dish that yields too much of something, instead of just throwing it away or putting it in the fridge and forgetting about it until it then has to be thrown away, think about what else you could do with it for the next days meal.  It is a great way to utilize all of your ingredients so that there is less waste and you are getting more for your money.

Balsamic Caprese Burger

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 thick slices of tomato
6 large basil leaves, sliced
1 1/2 lbs. (680g) minced beef (no more then 85% lean)
2 Tbsp of Balsamic reduction sauce (you can use a thick balsamic glaze)
1/2 c. onion, finely minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp basil, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 oz. (170 g.) mozzarella cheese
6 whole wheat burger buns

Pour vinegar, olive oil  and sliced basil leaves over the tomatoes and set aside to marinate while you are preparing your other ingredients.

Saute onion in a splash of olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and basil and saute for 1 minute.

Add onion mixture, balsamic glaze and black pepper and mix well.  Remember the leaner the meat the more likely you will have issues with the mixture not holding together and cracking during cooking.  If all you have is lean meat you may have to use a binder to help keep it together, like breadcrumbs and eggs.  I prefer to have less filler in my burgers so I stick to slightly fattier mince.

Divide meat into six balls and flatten into patties.

On this particular day the weather chose to not cooperate and it started raining right before I was ready to start grilling, so I opted to grill in my oven.  But really nothing compares to the grilled flavor of meat on the BBQ so next time I hope to be able to avoid the rain and grill outside.

Place the meat on your grill pan and place in your oven to grill for about 5 minutes per side.

Once the meat is done add a slice of mozzarella and one of your marinated tomatoes and serve.  This goes great with homemade Parmesan cheese fries. (chips)