Perfect Patty Melts

Happy birthday to my favorite with the tradition continues since 2011! This year we had patty melts using garlic Texas Toast for the bun. They could use even more cheese – I don’t know what I was thinking – don’t be like me. Really go for it.

Perfect Patty Melts
Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 box (8 slices) of Texas Toast garlic bread 
1 pound ground meat 
2-4 tablespoons (1/4 onion) caramelized onions
~ 8 slices of American cheese (or more!)
4 tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing 

Directions:
Preheat the grill and oven/toast oven. 
Form the patties (oblong shaped to fit the bread!) and grill until cooked to desired done-ness. Bake the garlic bread until heated through – they will finish on the grill. 
Assemble with Thousand Island dressing, cheese on each bread-“bun” the cooked patties, and onions. 

Grill or griddle to melt the cheese. 
Enjoy!

We loved these! I’d really go for more cheese next time but both sides of the bread is key. These would be a good one if you’re forced inside/grill-less sometime! One kid asked if we could do it without the burger next time…so grilled cheese coming up?

The Historical Timeline of the Birthday Burgers:
2024 was a Hawaiian Burger with Pineapple Slaw for a sweet & salty trip
2023 was a Chicken Caesar Salad Burger with our beloved flavors
2022 was a Bacon Jam and Parmesan Peppercorn burger was all about the toppings. 
2021 was a Waffle Breakfast Burger with ground sausage in the patty, maple aoli, and melted gouda.
2020 was a BLT burger with ground bacon IN the burger and tomato jam
2019 was a Manchego Burger with manchego, quince jam, and arugula
2018 was a Garlic Lovers Burger with garlic butter, chips, garlic aoli and white cheddar.
2017 was an Ultimate Mexican Burger with queso, guac, and beans.
2016 was a Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger topped with bacon, onions, and tomato.
2015 was a Picnic Burger with slaw & potato sticks
2014 was a German Burger with horseradish, caramelized onions, pickles and a pretzel roll
2013 was a Vermont Burger with maple mayo, cheddar, bacon, and spinach
2012 was a Bacon Wrapped Burger – enough said
2011 was a Stuffed Burger stuffed with bacon & cheddar or bacon & blue cheese

Pizza Burgers

These were fantastic, if I do say so myself. There’s grated pepperoni in the burger and it gets topped with melty provolone cheese and some tomato sauce. This kicks off an Italian-inspired month so buckle up for some fun twists on classics!

Pizza Burgers
Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 pound ground meat (I used pork but use what you like)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup of pepperoni
4 slices of provolone cheese
1/4 cup tomato sauce
4 brioche rolls

Directions:
Preheat the grill, then add ground meat and dried seasonings to a bowl. Grate the pepperoni into the meat mixture (or chop finely) and stir to combine.

Form into patties and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, to your desired doneness.
Add cheese to melt.
Warm up tomato sauce and assemble the burgers on the buns with sauce.
Optional: add more Italian seasoning, or red chili flakes, or grated Parmesan, or any of your regular pizza toppings!
Enjoy!

We had these with some parmesan fries and caprese salad. They really tasted of pizza and the pepperoni flavored it all but wasn’t too strong. The kids were wary but each finished or almost finished so they likely were more into it than they said.

Ranch Chicken Burgers

{originally published in 2012 and updated in 2024}

These are possibly the most-repeated dish from the blog. We’ve been having these since using a grill pan in our apartment way back when and now have them regularly in the spring and summer. They’re so good and such a crowd-pleaser.

Ranch Chicken Burgers
Ingredients: (for 4)

1 pound ground chicken
1 packet dried ranch dressing/dip mix (~2 teaspoons)
3 tbs ranch dressing
4 rolls

Directions:
Preheat the grill.
Mix together the ground chicken, ranch mix, 1 teaspoon of ranch dressing – reserving the rest for topping.
Form into 4 patties.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper then grill until cooked through 165-degrees being careful not to flip too often. These cook well on a griddle.
Serve on buns with more ranch and any toppings you like!
Enjoy!

We have these often but hadn’t yet this year. The kiddos didn’t remember them and each ate it all! There’s the lesson – repeat a previous dinner, nobody remembers how often you serve something! We each added ranch on the buns and these are great with lettuce, tomato, pickles, or anything! I think the kids add ketchup.

Cheeseburger Hash Brown Cups

These were a superbowl snack for us but cheeseburger hash brown cups would be a great non-grilling season dinner too! Mr. J grills year-round but a burger-ish app is great to use up leftovers, prepped as an app for a party, or as a twist to the format. These gave me another idea so stay tuned for that one too! 

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups

They weren’t perfectly intact, but still good. I think my muffin tin in a bit bigger than usual and maybe a bit more care forming them would have helped.

Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups
Ingredients: 

~1/3 bag of tater tots (~4 per muffin cup) 
1/2 pound ground meat/meatless mix
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional, or sub 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup cheese, shredded
toppings: pickles, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, etc!

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (or as tot package calls for). Spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray and put 3-4 tots in each muffin hole. Bake for ~10 minutes and then press down to mold them into the cup shape. Spray again and bake for another 5 minutes until crispy.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups

While the cups are crisping, pan fry the ground meat. When mostly cooked through, drain excess grease and add in liquid smoke, garlic powder, sesame seeds, salt and pepper.
Add in the crumbled bacon.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups

Sprinkle each cup with ground meat, and cheese.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups

Return to the oven to melt. Top with pickles and drizzles of ketchup and mustard. Enjoy!

I thought these were fun. It is easy to prep the cup part in advance and the rest comes together quickly!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups

Birthday Burger – Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn

Happy Birthday Mr J! The birthday burger was belated and became doubled up with Father’s Day – our guy is such a trooper. We were all about the toppings this year – bacon jam and parmesan peppercorn dressing! These beauties had lots of melty cheese and brioche rolls.

The Three Bite Rule - Birthday Burger with Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn

Bacon jam is delicious and definitely worth it. In a pinch, 3 parts crumbled bacon finely chopped + 1 part apple cider vinegar + 1 part maple syrup is a great quick fix.

Burgers with Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Ingredients: (for 4 burgers)

1 pound ground meat
4 tablespoons bacon jam (that’s ~1/3 of what the batch above makes)
2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sour cream
1-2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
sprinkle of salt
sprinkle of garlic powder
4-6 slices of cheese
4 brioche buns
arugula

Directions:
Make the bacon jam ahead of time.
Form the burger patties and preheat the grill.
For the dressing, mix together the mayo, sour cream, some of the milk (adding more if needed later), parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Add remaining milk if you find it too thick (think: spreadable not quite like dressing).
Cook the burgers to your preference – we did some ground beef, some ground pork.
Top with lots of cheese and let that melt.
Assemble the burgers with a smear of parmesan peppercorn dressing on each bun half, arugula, the burger and top with bacon jam.

The Three Bite Rule - Birthday Burger with Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn

Enjoy!

I loved this combo. The bacon jam is complex – sweet and a tiny tang and the coffee and red wine adds some serious depth. The parm peppercorn dressing is so much better than the jar. I liked making a small amount – and will do so again another time – it would be delightful on a turkey sandwich!

The Three Bite Rule - Birthday Burger with Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn

The Historical Timeline of the Birthday Burgers:
2021 it was a Waffle Breakfast Burger with ground sausage in the patty, maple aoli, and melted gouda.
2020 it was a BLT burger with ground bacon IN the burger and tomato jam
2019 it was a Manchego Burger with manchego, quince jam, and arugula
2018 it was a Garlic Lovers Burger with garlic butter, chips, garlic aoli and white cheddar.
2017 it was an Ultimate Mexican Burger with queso, guac, and beans.
2016 it was a Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger topped with bacon, onions, and tomato.
2015 it was a Picnic Burger with slaw & potato sticks
2014 it was a German Burger with horseradish, caramelized onions, pickles and a pretzel roll
2013 it was a Vermont Burger with maple mayo, cheddar, bacon, and spinach
2012 it was a Bacon Wrapped Burger – enough said
2011 it was a Stuffed Burger stuffed with bacon & cheddar or bacon & blue cheese

Burger Rice Bowls

A burger in a quick & packable form! I made these rice bowls as an easy meal and froze another portion to grab for lunch or to eat quickly on a busy night on the baseball sidelines.

Think of a burger on a bed of bacon rice topped with cheese, pickles, greens, tomatoes, and a final drizzle of special sauce and ketchup. It is perfectly scoop-able, filling, and nutritious.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Bowl

Burger Rice Bowls
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 1/2 cup brown rice prepared
2 tablespoons bacon bits
2 veggie burgers (or any patty)
2 slices white cheddar cheese
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1-2 cups baby arugula
2 teaspoons mayo
4 teaspoons ketchup
dash of garlic powder
pepper

Directions:
Cook the rice and stir in the bacon bits.
Pan fry (or grill) the burgers and top with cheese.
While the burgers are cooking, chop the tomatoes, arugula, and pickles.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Bowl

Let the rice and burgers cool a few minutes.
Mix up the special sauce: 2 teaspoons ketchup with the mayo, garlic powder, and pepper.
Assemble with rice on the bottom, topped with burgers, cheese, greens, tomatoes, and pickles.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Bowl

Drizzle with special sauce and ketchup and sesame seeds.
Enjoy!

I loved these! It gives you all the flavors you want from a burger – just with a fork. I love a bun but serving this on rice is actually easier to pack and eat in a hurry than as a burger. It wouldn’t replace a traditional burger for me, but I also wouldn’t pack a burger to be a work lunch.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Bowl

The bacon brown rice is delicious. I used a veggie burger topped with white cheddar (but could be any burger or portabella cap) and the bowl gets all the burger toppings I had on hand. It was great. For me it is much more filling than as a salad, but you-do-you!

I scooped another serving of rice and chopped another veggie burger and froze it for a later date. One morning I’ll be so grateful to pull it out of the freezer, throw on some greens, veggies, pickles and some ketchup/mustard/mayo dressing on the side. When it is time to eat, I flip the non-cooked parts onto the lid, then I warm the rice & burger and pile on the raw veggies and a drizzle. It is just what I need mid-day – something delicious, nutritious, and appealing.