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Cheeseburgers

A community recipe by

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

Cheeseburgers have a bit of a bad rap but need not be as unhealthy as everyone thinks. The key is to use extra lean beef mince. The addition of minced onion will keep the patties moist and make up for the flavour lost by having less fat. Barbecuing helps as any grease will simply drip out. If you don't have a barbecue, rather than frying the patties, consider cooking them under the grill on a wire rack in a pan so any extra grease drains away.

Cheeseburgers have a bit of a bad rap but need not be as unhealthy as everyone thinks. The key is to use extra lean beef mince. The addition of minced onion will keep the patties moist and make up for the flavour lost by having less fat. Barbecuing helps as any grease will simply drip out. If you don't have a barbecue, rather than frying the patties, consider cooking them under the grill on a wire rack in a pan so any extra grease drains away.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

For the Mince

  • 500 grams minced beef
  • 1 small onion (minced as finely as possible)
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or herb of your choice)
  • 1 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 splash of vegetable oil
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese (enough to cover each patty)

For the Toppings

  • 4 large white baps
  • 1 haimisha cucumbers (dill pickles outside UK) (sliced)
  • 1 small onion (cut into 4 slices)
  • 1 large tomato (cut into 8 slices)
  • 4 leaves lettuce
  • mayonnaise
  • tomato ketchup
  • mustard

For the Mince

  • 17⅔ ounces ground beef
  • 1 small onion (minced as finely as possible)
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or herb of your choice)
  • 1 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 splash of vegetable oil
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese (enough to cover each patty)

For the Toppings

  • 4 large white baps
  • 1 haimisha cucumbers (dill pickles outside UK) (sliced)
  • 1 small onion (cut into 4 slices)
  • 1 large tomato (cut into 8 slices)
  • 4 leaves lettuce
  • mayonnaise
  • tomato ketchup
  • mustard

Method

Cheeseburgers is a community recipe submitted by duffs10 and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

  • If you want chips (fries), now would be a good time to get them in the oven. McCain Oven Chips are my favourite and are considered to be fairly healthy. Preheat the barbecue/grill.
  • Mix the mince ingredients together thoroughly. Really get in there with your hands and keep mixing until it is almost the consistency of sausage meat. This will ensure the patties don't fall to bits when you are cooking them.
  • Divide the mixture into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to shape the balls into the biggest patties you can while retaining cohesion (you don't want breaks/weak spots or they will break apart when cooking). Brush each patty lightly with vegetable oil if you are barbecuing to ensure they don't stick to the grill.
  • Place the patties on the barbecue (or under the grill) and cook on medium heat until browned. Flip and cook the other side until juices run clear. Mince should always be cooked thoroughly. Flip once more and turn off the heat.
  • Place 1-2 slides of cheese on each patty and let melt.
  • while the patties are cooking, slice the baps open and place on the grill to lightly toast the insides. Use the following to arrange the toppings on the top half of each bap: white-red-green-white-red-green, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickled cucumbers, onion, tomato, lettuce. Spread mustard on the bottom half of each bap.
  • When the patties are ready, place them on the bottom halves of the baps. Serve open with chips and ketchup and/or mayonnaise on the side for dipping. Yum! All this in less time than it would have taken to go to a burger shop and back home again.
  • If you want chips (fries), now would be a good time to get them in the oven. McCain Oven Chips are my favourite and are considered to be fairly healthy. Preheat the barbecue/grill.
  • Mix the mince ingredients together thoroughly. Really get in there with your hands and keep mixing until it is almost the consistency of sausage meat. This will ensure the patties don't fall to bits when you are cooking them.
  • Divide the mixture into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to shape the balls into the biggest patties you can while retaining cohesion (you don't want breaks/weak spots or they will break apart when cooking). Brush each patty lightly with vegetable oil if you are barbecuing to ensure they don't stick to the grill.
  • Place the patties on the barbecue (or under the grill) and cook on medium heat until browned. Flip and cook the other side until juices run clear. Mince should always be cooked thoroughly. Flip once more and turn off the heat.
  • Place 1-2 slides of cheese on each patty and let melt.
  • while the patties are cooking, slice the baps open and place on the grill to lightly toast the insides. Use the following to arrange the toppings on the top half of each bap: white-red-green-white-red-green, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickled cucumbers, onion, tomato, lettuce. Spread mustard on the bottom half of each bap.
  • When the patties are ready, place them on the bottom halves of the baps. Serve open with chips and ketchup and/or mayonnaise on the side for dipping. Yum! All this in less time than it would have taken to go to a burger shop and back home again.
  • Additional Information

    Not to your taste? Try replacing the toppings with the following: Tropical style: Mayonnaise, onion, tomato, lettuce, pineapple, hot sauce. California style: Mayonnaise, onion, tomato, avocado. Spanish style: Ketchup, avocado, fresh salsa (drained and squeezed). Greek style: Tsatsiki, tomato, mustard, dried oregano, feta (miss out cheddar). Middle Eastern style: Hummus, tomato, parsley, hot sauce, grilled haloumi (miss out cheddar). Italian style: Mayonnaise, fresh basil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella (miss out cheddar). Be imaginative - it's only a burger, you can't really bugger it up... try rubbing the toasted bun with a cut clove of garlic, use an olive tapenade or pesto instead of ketchup and mayonnaise, whatever suits your fancy.

    Not to your taste? Try replacing the toppings with the following: Tropical style: Mayonnaise, onion, tomato, lettuce, pineapple, hot sauce. California style: Mayonnaise, onion, tomato, avocado. Spanish style: Ketchup, avocado, fresh salsa (drained and squeezed). Greek style: Tsatsiki, tomato, mustard, dried oregano, feta (miss out cheddar). Middle Eastern style: Hummus, tomato, parsley, hot sauce, grilled haloumi (miss out cheddar). Italian style: Mayonnaise, fresh basil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella (miss out cheddar). Be imaginative - it's only a burger, you can't really bugger it up... try rubbing the toasted bun with a cut clove of garlic, use an olive tapenade or pesto instead of ketchup and mayonnaise, whatever suits your fancy.

    Tell us what you think

    What 1 Other has said

    • Too much oregano, and I made double the meat and only added 1/2 tsp of it!

      Posted by kittenmalibu on 24th April 2020
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