Caprese Burger

 
Well, well... what do we call this?  Fusion?  I was making simple burgers for the kids, but what I was actually craving was something more Italian.  I typically have all these things on hand in the fridge because "caprese" ingredients rank up there as some of my favorites.  Nope bacon has nothing to do with it... I just wanted that extra texture and a little smoky flavor in there. :)

                           Click here to watch my Video to making these Caprese Stuffed Burgers

 

Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, and seasoned simply with salt and olive oil.  

Click for Printable Recipe 

Ingredients:

• Your favorite blend of ground beef.  
• I used an 80/20 blend because I think the extra fat makes them juicy.
• Real bacon bits.  
• Or crumbled up bacon that you have made.
• Grape tomatoes
• Fresh mozzarella
• Fresh basil leaves
• Steak seasoning - or your favorite burger seasoning blend.
• Your favorite buns and accompaniments 

Step-by-Step -

Season your hamburger meat well, just the way you usually make them.  Make the middle portion of a patty thinner than the edges. 

Start filling.  I am adding some bacon for a great smoky flavor.

Add in some grape tomatoes that have been quartered.  I chose these because they are super sweet, and also because they don't have a lot of liquid in them to make anything soggy.  Choose whichever type you like best.

Add in some pieces of lovely fresh mozzarella.  Oh I can just taste it now!

Add in some fresh basil that you have cut into ribbons.  Cut them as small or large as you would like.  Totally your choice.  Just be careful to keep all of your fillings in the center portion.  I seasoned up the middle of the patty as well.  I used Montreal Steak Seasoning, but you can use any brand or seasoning blend that you like.

Do the same thing with another patty... thin in the middle, thicker on the edges.

Make a burger "sandwich" out of them.

Mold and seal the pieces of meat together. 

Get your grill really hot and throw them on.  This happens to be a cold, dark evening in December, so I opted for the grill pan inside the warm house.

Grill them as you usually would. 

This was one of the reasons that I wanted the middle portions to be quite a bit thinner than the edges.  I wanted to be sure it was cooked through.

And just take a good look at this baby!!!  WooHoo!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE warm, melty cheese!  The burger was nice and juicy and the filling was sublime.  The bun, however, was tiny.  Oh well.  It was a humorous end to the story.

All said, you could add all sort of "themed" fillings in there.  Maybe Mexican with a stuffed poblano chili?  Greek with feta and olives? French with ham and Gruyere?

Have fun.  Do different and wacky things with your food.  Cook with your kids.  Eat at home.  Love each other.

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Looking for more great recipes from my blog?

Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of ideas you can cook with/for your family.  Here are just a few random recipes from my blog to get your curiosity going:

Crab Rangoons

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Maple Bacon Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

Black Pepper Cheddar Bay Biscuits 

Oreo Heath Bar Cake 

Tomato Basil Chicken 

Skinny Mexican Pizza

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Written Directions 

Well.  To be honest, I'm not sure there really is a real method involved.  Just form your ground beef into wide hamburgers patties, making them quite a bit thinner in the middle sections (like a well) with a thicker border.

Fill with your...er...fillings of choice.  Stick them together and grill them up!  Oh, and make sure you have buns that are big enough!  Haha!  I had "junior" sized buns and a "king" sized burger!  It was quite funny in the end.  But cooking should be fun.  The important part is that when I bit into it.... warm gooey mozzarella with tomatoes and basil OOOOOZED out.  Yum!