The weather has turned a bit of a corner here in Alberta and hopefully spring is just around the corner. In celebration of a lot less snow on the ground I’m not wasting any time in sharing with my lovely readers the best hamburger recipe. All you need is good quality ground chuck, some finely chopped onions, spices, and an egg to hold everything together. What you do after these tasty hamburgers are made is up to you!
My hamburger recipe is a fun one because I found these really cool stuffer mushrooms at Save on Foods the other day and I thought that they would work perfectly for a gluten free bun option. These mushrooms are larger than buttom mushrooms, but much smaller than a Portobello. Just stick a skewer in them and you’re done. I’ll admit eating them afterwards was a bit messy, but hey, that’s how the best hamburgers should be right??
What makes this hamburger recipe awesome is the easy ingredients in the patty mixture. The key here is simplicity. I used really good quality ground chuck, salt, pepper, garlic powder, finely chopped red onion and one egg to hold the patties together well. The chuck is the front portion of the cow, in the shoulder. This meat is usually pretty tough and the best cooking methods are braising and slow cooking methods. Grinding the chuck meat instead makes the meat nice and tender, PLUS you have all of that added marbling and fat that makes burger that much tastier!
Other key factors in making the best hamburger recipe are of course the toppings. For this recipe I’m just covering the mini hamburgers in maple balsamic caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. If you are looking for some tasty condiments to add, you’re in luck! Check out my Roasted Onion Chipotle BBQ Sauce recipe, or the home made stir sauce sauce in my Low Oxalate Cabbage Beef Wraps.
To cook these hamburgers, I used the good ol’ fashioned European way, and that’s in a pan! I could have done them on the BBQ, as we all know Canadians love grillin’ in the snow! This way develops so much flavor and caramelization on the meat that this truly is the best hamburger recipe! Haha I don’t mean to brag but I am pretty proud of it! Also I went against usual Canadian traditions (and food laws?) and cooked my little mini burgers slightly on the rarer side. That’s just me though. Feel free to do whatever you like!
There are also some really healthy low oxalate ingredients in this recipe too! The mushrooms and onions work well in preventing kidney stones, as well as the ground beef. Just needed to make sure I added that little blurb in there! On to the recipe!
- 1.5 lbs lean ground chuck
- 1 each egg
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 each whole red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 each stuff mushrooms, with stem removed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
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Mix together all ingredients well. Make sure not to overmix as it can make the ground chuck tough and stringy. Make 2" diameter burger patties and flatten well. These will shrink to fit the stuffer mushroom caps perfectly. Cook a tiny sample patty and check for seasoning.
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Heat up a pan, or griddle on medium high heat, and add in some vegetable oil. Sear the burgers on both sides, making sure to get nice, dark caramelization on the patties.
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If you would like a rarer hamburger, you can skip the oven, but if you want your hamburgers well done, transfer them to a baking tray and bake in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes to finish them. Serve with your favorite slice of cheese, or top with your favorite BBQ sauce.
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Add some vegetable oil to a small pot and add in the thinly sliced red onions. Cook on medium low heat. This will allow the onions to cook nice and slow with out burning them. This will take 20-25 minutes but will be well worth the wait. The onions should be nice and dark brown. When the onions are almost done, add in the balsamic, reduce, and finish with the maple syrup.
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Remove the stems of the mushrooms, scrub and rinse well. Toss with vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and bake in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms are nice and soft, but not too over cooked. Dry off well with paper towel and keep at room temperature to serve with the burgers.
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Build the burgers with the caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, optional condiments, and use a wooden skewer to hold everything together. Enjoy!
If you guys are looking for even more healthy recipes, feel free to head on over to Fave Healthy Recipes. I’ve loaded some of my recipes on there, and so many more options await! Check it out!
