Smashed Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onions

My favorite type of burger is a smashed burger or thin burger. Whatever you like to call it. They fit on the bun nicely and the toppings are easy to put on and they STAY on. 

I’ve made plenty of bad burgers before in my life. The bun was way larger than the actual burger patty itself. The burger would shrivel up or shrink to a smaller size than what you had originally shaped it after it was cooked. I was fed up with it and I did my research and learned how to fix this mistake.  Smashed burgers or thin burgers will solve your burger patty to bun ratio. 

How do you smash a burger? 

Shape the patties a little larger than the burger bun. Ground beef is messy to work with and will make your hands greasy.  Instead of using your hands to shape or flatten a burger into a patty, look for a flat surface in your kitchen like the bottom of a skillet or pan, a cutting board, plate, etc. 

Place the ground beef (I shape them into equal size portions) and place them on a work surface like a cutting board or piece of parchment paper. Then I flatten them with whatever flat surface I can find. It does the trick well! 

On Amazon, they have burger patty makers, but I just think those are a waste. Any kitchen tool that only gets one job done is a complete waste of kitchen space.  

Burger Seasonings: 

Recently, I’ve been using dry Italian Seasoning Mix (that comes in the packets to season my burgers with and I just love it! If you haven’t tried that before you must but here are some other seasonings that work well in a burger patty. Worcestershire sauce is always a classic burger patty ingredient. 

• Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
• Italian Seasoning Mix or Ranch 
• Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Seasoning Salt of choice 
• Fresh Herbs and Garlic 
• Cajun Seasoning
• Teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce

Ingredients List: 

If you are wondering why I chose a certain ingredient or looking for substitution ideas check this area out! 

Ground Beef:  This is a recipe for ground beef burgers, not turkey or chicken burgers (I do plan on making recipes for those soon).  If you want good quality restaurant-style burgers use 80/20 or do half beef and half chuck.  

When I’m watching my calorie intake I’ll use 93% or even 96% lean ground beef. 

Tomato:  Sliced tomatoes fit better on to burgers. 

Green Leaf Lettuce:   Romaine or iceberg  

Pickles:  Use whatever is your favorite. 

Onions: Caramelized onions are the best on top of burgers in my opinion. Some people like theirs pickled or just thinly sliced. 

How to Make the Best Smashed Burgers Ever            

Caramelized Onions:   Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; keep warm.

While the onions are cooking, add the ground beef to a bowl and add your favorite seasoning to the beef. Mix well to combine. Divide the ground beef into 4 equal size portions or balls. 

Spread the beef balls/portions on top of some parchment paper or plastic saran wrap about 2 inches apart. Place another piece of parchment paper or saran wrap over the beef that is large enough to cover all 4 portions. Find a flat surface like the bottom of a skillet to press down on the burgers. 

Fix any edges by shaping the patties with your hands. 

Grilling: Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high. 

Grill patties until the crust develops on one side and flip and continue cooking until they are done. The patties should reach 160 degrees. 

Skillet:  Heat nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Place one patty on the hot skillet. Cook each side until a nice crust forms for 2 to 3 minutes and flip the burger. Continue cooking the other side for 1 ½ minutes. Add cheese on top and let it melt. 

Beef patties are done when they reach 160 degrees. 

Place patties on buns and add preferred toppings before serving.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Quesadilla Burgers 

Air Fryer Burgers and Hot Dogs 

Grilled Chicken Burgers 

Pizza Turkey Burgers

SouthWestern Turkey Burgers 

*If you make this recipe please comment and rate the recipe below to let everyone know how it is, or tag me on Instagram! If you want to upload a photo you can do that on Pinterest. Just find the post for it. 

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