Smothered Cheeseburgers

Go ahead, eat this burger! We've transformed a diner classic so you can indulge while keeping fat and calories way down. One bite and you'll never go greasy spoon again.

Photo: Jodi Pudge

By Julie O'Hara

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
You Save: 310 calories, 21 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 568 g sodium

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb 96% lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp white onion, finely minced, plus 1 cup, thinly sliced, divided
• 3 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup pre-sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips (about 1 cup)
• 4 thin slices deli reduced-fat Swiss cheese (3/4 oz each)
• 4 standard-size whole-wheat hamburger buns
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves, thick stems removed
• 4 tomato slices (1/4-inch thick each)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add beef, minced onion, parsley, chile powder, salt and black pepper to a large bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined. Gently form beef mixture into 4 equal patties, about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Transfer to a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Add 1 tsp oil to a medium nonstick skillet and set over medium. When oil is hot, add mushrooms and cook until golden brown and soft, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add remaining oil to skillet and return to medium heat. Add red pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sliced onion and continue cooking for 6 more minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Add to bowl with mushrooms. Season vegetables with salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
3. When you’re ready to eat, preheat broiler to high or a grill to medium-high.
4. Place patties under broiler, about 10 inches from heat source, or on a grill. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink in center or the internal temperature registers 160 F on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately place 1 slice cheese on each hot burger. (If you want cheese very melted, add it to burgers 30 seconds to 1 minute before end of cooking time.) To serve, layer each bun with 1 lettuce leaf, 1 slice tomato, 1 cheeseburger patty and 1/3 cup vegetable mixture.

Nutrients per cheeseburger: Calories: 320, Total Fat 10 g, Sat. Fat 3 g, Carbs 25 g, Fiber 4 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 33 g, Sodium 570 g, Cholesterol 65 m
g