Dinner · 25 min · american

Copycat Baconator (Wendy’s style)

This is the kind of American dinner you’ll make on repeat — ground beef (90/10) and center-cut bacon, 25 minutes, big payoff. At 520 calories and 42g protein per serving, it fits easily into a high-protein day. Naturally high-protein, it scales cleanly if you are cooking for more than one.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground beef (90/10)
• 4 slices Center-cut bacon
• 2 slices American cheese
• 2 Brioche buns
• 2 tbsp Light mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper

Steps

1. Form two loose quarter-pound patties, slightly wider than the bun; press a thumb dent in the center so they don’t puff into meatballs.
2. Season the outside only, right before the heat — salted-early beef turns dense.
3. Bake the bacon at 400°F on a rack for 12 minutes; it cooks flat and crisp with zero babysitting.
4. Sear the patties in a ripping cast-iron 3 minutes per side, then cheese them and cover 1 minute to melt into the crust.
5. Toast the buns, swipe light mayo and ketchup on both, stack the bacon in an X so every bite gets some, and smash the lid down once.

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