This Italian-style burger has all your favorite parts of a meatball, is stuffed with mozzarella AND topped with melty cheese. To round it out we serve it on a garlic bread bun with crispy pancetta and marinara sauce.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 burgers |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds meatball mix (beef, veal and pork)
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 slices mozzarella
- 8 thin slices pancetta (about 3 1/2 ounces)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 sesame seed hamburger buns
- 1 cup marinara sauce, warmed
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler.
- Mix the meatball mix, parsley, Parmesan, fennel, 2 of the garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a large bowl. Divide the mixture into 4 equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, divide it in half and flatten to make 2 patties about 5 inches in diameter. Fold 2 slices of mozzarella into quarters and place into the center of the patty. Top with the other patty and press the meat together very tightly, forming a large patty shape with the cheese secured inside. Repeat with the remaining balls and 6 of the cheese slices. (At this point, you can freeze the burgers. Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking.)
- Cook the pancetta in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once, until the fat has released and it’s crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the burgers to the pan and cook, flipping once and topping each patty with 1 slice of the remaining cheese with 1 minute of cooking time left. Cook until nicely golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F for medium, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl and stir in the remaining garlic. Place the hamburger buns onto a baking sheet and brush both sides with the garlic butter. Broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons marinara sauce on each bottom half of the buns. Place a burger patty on top of the bottom half of the bun. Then top each burger with a spoonful of marinara, 2 pieces of pancetta, a sprinkle of Parmesan and the top half of the bun.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 261 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg |
| Sodium | 429 mg |
Reviews
This was very messy but really good. Definitely need to cook longer than what it says.
Easy and soooo good. I used homemade marinara sauce and French bread rolls for the buns. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Delicious!! I agree, a lid helps with the cooking, as does flattening the patty as much as possible. We used turkey and pork
Delicious! Plan to cook the meat longer than the says though, or maybe with the lid on. We ended up with pink burgers.
G
This recipe is amazing so delicious. The combination of all the flavors the fresh parsley, the cheese just an overall amazing burger to eat one of my favorite burger I’ve had in a long time. Being a graduate from the Institute of Culinary Education I love cooking from the app and learning form the best, my dream to work for food network you guys are the best!! Justin