Healthy Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Burgers Recipe

Celebrate Independence day with a hearty, delicious burger while still sticking to your diet. On this special occasion we worked hard to put together a unique and delicious, cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped marvel. It took a lot of number crunching but we made it happen.

Also make sure not to miss all the delicious variations we've included at the end!

Hamburgers (and cheeseburgers!) can go right along with fat loss and staying on track. Done right - like we’ll show you in just a sec -they are filling, tasty and actually healthy. And of course packed with protein that will make you swole. If that weren’t enough, ground beef is a good, cheap staple that’s widely available and can fit anyone’s budget. It’s also a great way to afford an upgrade to organic and even grass fed meat.

Ingredients

• 100g Ground beef (we used 95% lean)
• 10g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 14g Bacon (~2 strips)
• A few grams grapeseed or other high heat tolerant oil
• 20g Onion, finely minced
• 10g Jalapeño (more or less to taste), finely minced
• Salt, Pepper, and Chili powder

Sides

Sweet Potato Fries

Cut up a sweet potato into thin strips, toss with coconut oil, cinnamon and salt. Bake at 400 for ~20 minutes.

Coleslaw

• 50g Cabbage
• 25g Carrot
• 10g Light Mayo
• Salt and Pepper

This burger is pretty straight forward. We'll be mixing some ground beef with onions, stuffing that with cheese and wrapping it with bacon. Serve with sweet potato fries and coleslaw!

Making the Patties

Mince jalapeño and onion and grate the cheese. Watch how Gordon Ramsay takes care of that onion below.

Mix beef, onion, chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste.

Shape beef mixture into thin patties and place the cheese mixture in the center of each one.

Fold three sides in to close the beef around the cheese in a triangle shape. Make sure that the cheese is safely enclosed - you don’t want the precious goods to escape! Mold the triangle into a ball and gently press that back down into a burger shape.

Wrap each burger in a strip of bacon.

Cook the Bad Boys

1. Preheat a skillet and gently brush with grapeseed or other high heat-suitable oil.
2. When the skillet is hot, lay in the burgers. Let them sit in the hot pan without disturbing until a good sear forms on the bottom.
3. Once seared, flip once and let the other side get its sear.

If the burgers are thick, you can then use tongs to ensure that the sides get a proper searing. When all is seared, flip once more until cooked through.

Serve and Enjoy!

Variations

Burgers aren't just for the holidays but can be a staple of your diet. Try different meats like ground turkey or lamb.

Some Tips

• Dress it up with veggie fixings. Roasted mushrooms & peppers, sauerkraut/pickles, healthy coleslaw, onions, tomatoes, salsa, all types of salads.
• Don’t fry it.
• Season it! We like chili powder, since it hits the spicy, garlicky, salty spot. Try out the Secret Seasonings in the Why you're still fat article.
• Don’t eat it on a hamburger bun. Feel free to use sourdough toast, mashed potatoes, or some other decent carbs.
• Use quality ingredients: fresh, high quality meat; not American/processed cheese; fresh veggies; wholesome carbs!

Flavor Switch

• Mexican Taco Burger: chili powder, cumin seed, salt, cilantro (optional), sub corn tortilla for sweet potatoes
• Italian (Sausage) Burger: garlic, fennel seed, red pepper, black pepper, paprika (optional), salt
• Lebanese Kefta Burger: garlic, cilantro, cumin seed, coriander seed, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, salt
• Asian Fusion: grated ginger, garlic, cilantro, red pepper, dash soy sauce

Let us know how yours turn out!