Homemade Meatball Cheesy Meatball Burgers

This is the type of recipe I don’t really know what name to give, basically I’m making a meatball but shaping it in hamburger format, a bit like a Korean hamburger or Japanese hambagu. Both are ground meat mixed with other ingredients and breadcrumbs and molded into hamburger shape, which naturally creates a less dense and more creamy hamburger, just like a meatball or meatloaf.

I created this recipe because I wanted to make 2 double hamburgers, but I only had enough meat for 2 regular hamburgers hahaha and as you can see in the photos, each hamburger is only 50% meat, the rest are the other ingredients. To mix things up, I also added lots of cilantro and plenty of roughly chopped garlic, so the hamburgers were super aromatic. This recipe makes 2 double hamburgers or 4 single hamburgers. Let’s get to the recipe!

Homemade Meatball Cheesy Meatball Burgers

Servings: 2
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: ★★★★★
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When you want double hamburgers but only have single hamburger meat, work smarter, not harder! This delicious, less expensive and oh-so-delicious variation of a meatball sub will have you wondering why you ever made regular patties.

Ingredients

Beef – 160g (Minced)
Breadcrumbs – 120g
Garlic – 4 Cloves
Cilantro – To Taste (+/- 2 Tablespoons, Chopped)
Egg – 1 L
Hamburger Buns – 2
Emmental Cheese – 8 Thin Slices
Cucumber Pickles – 2 (Sweet and Sour)
Iceberg Lettuce – 2 Leaves
Tomato – 1
Olive Oil – A Few Drops
Ketchup – To Taste
Mayonnaise – To Taste
Pepper – A Pinch
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Start by chopping the garlic. I chopped one clove very finely and the rest coarsely, then placed them in a bowl.

Add the minced meat, chopped coriander, egg, and breadcrumbs, and mix everything together to form a dough. You can adjust the consistency of the dough as needed; you don’t want it too soft or too dense, but rather something with a consistency softer than minced meat on its own.

Shape into 4 balls and heat a frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.

When the pan is hot, add the meatballs and flatten them with a spatula to form patties. Season with salt and pepper.
When one side is golden brown, flip the burgers and add the sliced cheese. Note that I had very thinly sliced Emmental cheese, so I used 2 slices per burger. If you have a cheese with a thicker slice, then you only need 1 slice.

Let them finish cooking. If the cheese doesn’t melt, add a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover it with a lid for 1 minute. This will help melt the cheese.
Remove the burgers and add the bread to the same pan to toast it a little.
Wash the lettuce and tomato, dry them well, tear the lettuce and slice the tomato to your liking. I sometimes like super thin slices and other times I want a thick slice of tomato ;D
When the bread is toasted, remove it from the pan and assemble the burger. I like bread, lettuce, tomato, 2 burgers, pickles, sauces, and finally the top of the bread, but you can assemble it however you like, and that’s it! Repeat for the other one, and bon appétit!

Notes: You can also fry the hamburgers with pork lard if you want them crispier on the outside.

You can use whatever cheese you feel like, cheddar or American cheese is most common, but any good melting cheese works well.

I only season lightly one side of the patties, which I think creates a more interesting flavor, especially since I also add sauces. But I understand if you want more intense hamburgers, it’s a good idea to season more heavily on both sides.

The mixture should hold together but not be too tight, think meatball consistency rather than dense meatloaf. Don’t overwork the meat mixture or the patties will become tough.

These patties are more delicate than regular burgers when raw, so handle gently when shaping and flipping, after cooking they become more stable.

The steam method with water and a lid is perfect for melting cheese without overcooking the meat.

Feel free to experiment with different herbs, parsley, oregano, or basil work wonderfully too.

This recipe for Homemade Meatball Cheesy Meatball Burgers was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Hambúrguer Tipo Almôndega de Novilho foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.