Easy Stuffed Burgers
I love burgers. And I love vegetables. Aaand I love combining them into these tasty stuffed burgers. This is a pretty simple recipe, but combines some very flavorful ingredients to make a killer main dish. If you are serving a larger number of guests for dinner and want to make your meat last, this is a great way to still serve meat but be able to fill the tummies of all your guests.
You can serve them with buns for traditional burgers or even by themselves for bread-less burgers. They have been a hit with guests (and with my husband!) every time I have made them. If you are wanting to maximize your time, serve these with other vegetables that can be roasting in the oven while you prepare these.
Start off with a hot skillet and olive oil. Add in about half of a medium sized onion, chopped very finely. The more finely you chop your ingredients that you will mix in the better it will shape into a burger.
If you want to increase your vegetable ratio to meat then you can simply adjust the amounts of these ingredients. I really appreciate that this is a forgiving recipe. There is not too much you can do to mess this up. You can change proportions to make this fit your personal preferences or purposes.
Next, add in some more finely chopped vegetables. I used one zucchini, and about 1/2 - 3/4 of a red bell pepper. I also added in some seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic/herb, and a spicy steak seasoning.
Let the veggies simmer for several minutes on medium heat. You want them to be cooked before you mix them in with the meat. I like for them to be just a bit brown.
Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from the heat for a few minutes to let them cool just a bit. While they are cooling, you can put about 3/4 of a pound of ground beef into a mixing bowl.
Although I usually prefer more lean meat, lean meat is difficult to get to stick to the vegetables when shaping them into burgers. The 85% lean cut works well for these burgers.
Pour in the vegetables over the ground beef and add in a few sprinkles of feta cheese.
Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together well.
Then shape them into patties. You can adjust the size and thickness as you prefer. I like them thick, but still thin enough to make sure they will cook well through the middle.
Now they are ready to be cooked!
You can either throw them on the grill or on a skillet. For either one, try to follow the rule of all good burgers: only flip them once.
Make sure they are cooked all the way through before removing them. These are wonderful served with okra, corn, or potatoes. You can also alter the type of meat you use. You can use ground turkey meat to make these turkey burgers or even ground sausage. Other ingredients that work well to mix in are tomatoes, kale, or even carrots.
Special Note: If you do have a more lean meat and are having problems getting the ingredients to stick to the meat, add one egg (slightly beaten) and mix it in with veggies and ground meat. It will do the trick to make them stick together.
Ingredients
- 1/2 - 3/4 of whole Onions, finely chopped
- 1 medium Zucchini, finely chopped
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
- 3/4 lb Ground Beef
- Salt, Pepper, other preferred seasonings (garlic/herb, spicy steak, etc.)
- Feta Cheese
Instructions
- Finely chop onions, zucchini, and pepper. Pour some olive oil in a hot skillet and add in onions. Let the onions begin browning, then add in the zucchini and peppers after a few minutes. Add in seasonings to taste. Cook/brown the veggies.
- Put ground beef in a mixing bowl. Let the veggies cool for a few minutes then pour them on top of the beef. Sprinkle in desired amount of feta cheese. Mix them together well with a wooden spoon.
- Once the ingredients are all mixed well, shape into patties with hands. Place on either grill or skillet. Remember the rule of all good burgers: only flip them once. Make sure they are cooked all the way through before removing from heat and serving.
