My hubby is a cheeseburger fanatic! I love them too, but not every day! LOL! Honestly, I think if I’d let him, he really would have one every day.

So when the cheeseburger monster starts getting a craving, I try to satisfy us both by coming up with other, a bit more creative, ways to enjoy those same flavors.

With sweet Vidalia onions in season, I decided to take advantage of their versatility, and turn them into a cheeseburger masterpiece!

Ok, maybe not a “masterpiece”, but they sure looked gorgeous and sophisticated on our plates as compared to a joe-average burger! 😉

 

I really wanted these to have lots of goodies, but without overdoing it, lots of flavor without masking the taste of a real cheeseburger, and the taste of a traditional cheeseburger without using any funky ingredients that do NOT belong in a burger such as quinoa,  tofu or hummus. You know what I mean? 😉   I get the bandwagon craze, I do. But please don’t put it anywhere near my burger.

So I started with the traditional things that you would normally deck out your burger with! Fresh mushrooms, kale leaves (to hold up better than lettuce during baking) picked straight from my barrel on the deck, my own homegrown grape tomatoes that I oven-roasted, creamy Sharp Cheddar Velveeta, and a sauce to keep the meat moist consisting of traditional toppings and ingredients.

Though an infinite number of cheeses can be used, according to survey after survey, American-style cheeses always rank #1 as the cheese of choice preferred by young and old alike. So a regular, creamy, mild “yellow cheese” it was! I didn’t want to tear or cut up American cheese slices, so I thought that Velveeta would be the perfect one to use for this. And it worked out really well!

 

 

The key to great burgers, is not to over mix the meat. You’ll end up with a very tough, compact burger rather than tender, moist and juicy. So be careful when combining all of the ingredients.

 

 

Next is the only tedious part, but so worth the time! It’s not hard to do at all. Just peel the outer dry skins, slice off each end and hollow out the insides!

*I like to chop the insides and place them into a freezer bag and freeze them to use any time that I need chopped onions! 😉

 

 

There are HUMUNGOUS Vidalia onions, but for this, I like to use the smaller ones. They take less time to bake and grill, require less bacon, and make a smaller portion that’s just right for one person.

 

 

Totally over-stuff these babies! Don’t worry, it won’t fall to pieces when baking. 😉

 

 

I used my pressure cooker insert to place on the bottom of my pot to keep them raised a little and off of the bottom. But you can use any rack that fits what you’re baking them in, such as a canning rack, or just go without completely.

Then place a large piece of foil inside and spray with no-stick spray.

 

 

Next, wrap your onions with quality, lean, meaty, thick-cut bacon. Cover the top half of the onion and wrap around the meat as well. I simply tuck the ends under, but you can secure with toothpicks if you want to.

 

 

Then just place your onions into the foil-lined pot, sprinkle with more coarse ground or fresh cracked black pepper, and close up the foil.

 

 

Pop into the oven and bake for about an hour. Give or take a few. 😉

 

 

When done, open the foil carefully! There will be a lot of steam in there! Let them cool for a bit while you heat up the grill. Then move them to a plate, rack, or baking sheet to take outside.

 

 

Baste, coating well, with barbecue sauce and place onto the grill. I placed my whole rack on there just in case they stuck, but they didn’t at all. So you can just put them straight on, or if you have one of those grill pans with the holes, use one of those.

 

 

Then you’re going to close the lid and grill them anywhere from 15 minutes to a half an hour. Since they are basically done, you just want to crisp up the bacon and get a little charring at this point. Check the grill for flare-ups and adjust the heat as necessary.

 

 

When they’re to the way that you like them, remove them to a baking sheet or serving platter. If you need to keep these warm for a few while something else gets finished up, just pop them into a low oven.

 

 

Aren’t they just gorgeous???!!

 

 

So simple, yet so pretty!! Make sure to fix plenty if having a small crowd over,
because, trust me, everyone will want one! 😀

 

 

But what do they taste like? Honestly?

Not kidding you…

…they tasted just like a 5 Guys burger that I enjoy now and then!!!

Was the hubs happy with them?

Oooooh, yes, yes he was!!!

Success!!!

 

So if you, too, love burgers but don’t want the extra cals from the big bun,
and want a dish to impress that’s actually easy to make- – this is it.
Just make this. Seriously. 😉

 

*This recipe is also gluten-free, so it’s a nice (bun-less) “burger alternative” for those suffering from Celiac Disease.

 

Yield: 6 servings

Barbecued Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger Stuffed Onions with Kale & Oven Roasted Tomatoes

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb. quality extra-lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup chopped or sliced oven-roasted (or rehydrated sun-dried) tomatoes
• 4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Velveeta cheese, diced 1/4" - 1/2"
• 2 flat-leaf kale leaves, torn into small 1" pieces
• 1 cup coarse chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 1 Tbl. ketchup
• 1 Tbl. mayonnaise such as Hellmann's
• 1 Tbl. thick bbq sauce, such as Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce
• 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

Rest of Ingredients:

• 6 small to medium-sized sweet Vidalia onions, hollowed to within two outer layers
• 6 slices quality lean thick-cut bacon
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup more barbecue sauce
• more coarse ground black pepper
• 6 American cheese slices if desired

Instructions

In large bowl, gently combine first 7 ingredients.

In small bowl, mix well the sauce ingredients, drizzle into meat mixture and gently combine. Mix well to combine, but don't over mix. Cover and chill until needed.

Peel dry outer skins from onions. Slice 1/4 - 1/2" off of bottom root ends. Slice off 1/2 - 1" off of tops. Carefully scoop out insides leaving the last two outer layers intact and not going too close to the bottom.

Overstuff with meat filling.

Wrap each with 1 strip of bacon near the top and around the onion to hold meat. Tuck ends under or toothpick.

Place into a pot lined with a small rack or your insert for a pressure cooker, and a large piece of foil, then place onions carefully into the middle. Sprinkle with more pepper and close up foil.

Pop into a preheated 350º oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and carefully open foil to vent.

While the onions are cooling a little, heat grill to medium high.

Baste onions well with barbecue sauce, oil grill grates, and place onions onto grill. Close lid and grill for 20 to 30 minutes until bacon is crisped to your liking.

Check onions and bacon now and then for flare-ups and adjust heat as necessary.

Top each with a slice of American cheese if extra cheese is desired, melt, and serve hot.

Notes

Chop the insides of onions and store in freezer in a ziploc freezer bag for the next time you need chopped onions!