Dinner · 30 min · american

Copycat Western Bacon Cheeseburger (Carl’s Jr. style)

If you like lean ground beef (90/10), you’ll love this American dinner — 30 minutes from craving to table. Each serving lands at 550 calories with 40g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. No specialty equipment and nothing hard to find at a regular grocery store.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Lean ground beef (90/10)
• 2 Sesame buns
• 2 slices American cheese
• 4 slices Center-cut bacon
• 1 Yellow onion, thick rings
• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg white
• 3 tbsp Low-sugar BBQ sauce

Steps

1. Dip the onion rings in egg white, then panko, and air-fry at 400°F for 8 minutes until they shatter — Carl’s rings are breaded, never battered into donuts.
2. Crisp the bacon and set it aside on a rack.
3. Sear two 4-oz patties in a hot skillet, 3 minutes a side, with cheese in the last minute so it melts down the edges.
4. Toast the sesame buns cut-side down.
5. BBQ sauce on both buns — more than feels polite; the Western is a sauce burger first.
6. Stack the patty, two crossed bacon slices, and two onion rings; crown it and press once, gently, so the rings crackle but hold.

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