These amazing Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers are also packed with sautéed wild mushrooms and caramelized red onion marmalade.
This is one of those recipes that I spotted in a cookbook full of favorite restaurant recipes when I was visiting my sister many, many years ago. The restaurant was called, “La Taverna.” And I have no idea of its location. My sister has long ditched the cookbook. I did some Googling to try and figure it out, but most restaurants with that name are Italian. Anyway, I’m thankful for this restaurant generously sharing their recipe for these gorgonzola stuffed burgers. They’re fabulous!
How to make Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers:
Combine two pounds of ground beef with salt and pepper. Handle it gently. When ground beef is handled too much, it doesn’t cook to be as tender as it should. Divide the beef into 8 equal portions, and gently flatten each into a patty. Top 4 patties with a little of the gorgonzola, and then place another patty on top and pinch the edges to seal and create gorgonzola stuffed burgers.
How to make Sautéed Wild Mushrooms:
Melt butter in a skillet. Add shallot, garlic and thyme and cook until the shallot has softened. Add the mushrooms. There are three kinds of mushrooms added to this sauté! Dried (soaked) porcini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and cremini mushrooms are the mushrooms included here. When the mushrooms have softened a bit, add brandy and some of the porcini mushroom soaking liquid and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated.
How to make Caramelized Red Onion Marmalade:
Heat oil in a skillet. Add red onions, cover the pan and cook until the onions have softened and are browned (about 25 minutes). Add red wine vinegar and brown sugar. Cook a little more, and then add in heavy whipping cream, salt and pepper. The onions will be more like a spreadable caramelized onion “marmalade” than typical caramelized onions.
Grill the burgers until they have reached your desired level of doneness. I recommend you toast the buns on the grill too.
To assemble, place one of the stuffed gorgonzola burgers on the bottom half of the bun. Top with some of the caramelized red onion spread and also some of the sautéed wild mushrooms. Top with the other half of the bun, and serve!
These gorgonzola stuffed burgers are so delicious that they do not need ketchup or mustard or pickles or anything else. The red onion and mushroom accompaniments are just perfect. Serve with oven baked sweet potato fries, triple berry salad and your favorite cold beverage. Enjoy!
Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers
Ingredients
BURGERS:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in one cup of hot water for 20 minutes, squeezed dry and minced (save the soaking liquid!)
- ½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tablespoons brandy or cognac
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
RED ONION MARMALADE:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 large red onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 hamburger rolls
Instructions
PREPARE THE BEEF PATTIES:
- In a mixing bowl, gently combine beef with the salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 8 equal portions. Quickly form each portion into a flat patty, handling the meat as little as possible. Sprinkle 4 of the patties with two tablespoons of the gorgonzola cheese. Top with the remaining four patties of beef and pinch the sides together to form a seal, indent the center. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then set out at room temperature until ready to grill.
PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS:
- Heat the butter in a large skillet until melted. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and sauté for 3 minutes or until the shallot is tender. Add all of the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove the pan from heat and add the brandy and reserved mushroom-soaking liquid. Continue to cook this mixture until all of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender.
PREPARE THE ONIONS:
- In a large skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, cover and cook over medium-low heat until onions are very soft and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the vinegar and brown sugar. Cook until the liquid has almost evaporated and a thick syrup has formed. Add the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste.
- Grill the burgers until desired amount of doneness. Place one burger on each bun and top with one tablespoon of the onion marmalade and a heaping spoonful of the sautéed mushrooms.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
