Dinner · 15 min · american

Bunless Bacon Cheeseburgers

Dinner decisions, handled: Bunless Bacon Cheeseburgers pairs ground beef with cheddar for a 15-minute American dinner. Each serving lands at 729 calories with 75g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. Naturally paleo and keto, it scales cleanly if you are cooking for more than one.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 8 oz Ground beef
• 1 oz Cheddar
• 2 slices Bacon
• 4 leaves Lettuce
• 2 slices Tomato
• 1 tsp Mustard

Steps

1. Lay 2 slices bacon in a cold large skillet, set it over medium heat, and cook 8-10 minutes, turning once, until crisp and browned. Bacon renders and crisps best when it starts in a cold pan.
2. While the bacon cooks, divide 8 oz ground beef into 2 equal balls and press into patties about 1/2 inch thick and slightly wider than your fist. Press a small dimple in the center of each with your thumb so they cook flat instead of puffing up.
3. Season both sides of the patties generously with salt and pepper. Wipe most of the bacon fat from the skillet, leaving a thin coating, and return it to medium-high heat.
4. Sear the patties 4 minutes per side. Do not press them with the spatula -- pressing squeezes out the juices. The outsides should be deeply browned; cut into one to check doneness, cooking a little longer for no pink.
5. Lay 1 oz cheddar over the patties during the last minute, cover the skillet with a lid for 30-60 seconds, and the steam will melt the cheese perfectly.
6. Let the patties rest 2 minutes so the juices stay in the meat, then assemble: spread 1 tsp mustard on 2 large lettuce leaves, add a patty, the bacon snapped in half, and a tomato slice, then top with 2 more lettuce leaves like a wrapper.
7. Taste and add extra mustard or a pinch of salt if needed. Eat over a plate -- bunless burgers are gloriously messy.

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