Cheese Burgers with Grilled Onions and Mushrooms

These sweet and savory burgers are simply delicious, easy to make and will kick your next cookout up several notches! This recipe makes 4 burgers, or you can use smaller rolls to make 8 sliders.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes

Ingredients
For the grilled onions and mushrooms:
2 red or sweet onions, chopped
8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
Salt, to taste

For the burger patties:
1 pound ground chuck
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy or tamari sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the burger assembly:
4 buns, split
8 slices cheese (we used a sharp cheddar)
8 lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Mayonnaise

Directions
Make the onion and mushroom mixture: Heat butter and oil in a large skillet to medium. Add onions and sauté, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes until the onions Begin to caramelize. Add mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes more. Add vinegar and brown sugar or honey, stir to combine and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the vinegar reduces and most of the water has cooked out of the mushrooms. Season with salt and set aside.

Make the burger patties: combine all burger patty ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix gently with your (clean) hands. Be careful not to overwork the meat mixture as it may become tough. Form the mixture into 4 patties and set on a plate to rest while you get the grill ready.

Preheat your grill to medium and oil with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Cook the burger patties for 5 minutes on each side; the last couple minutes of cooking add the cheese and a scoop of the onion-mushroom mixture so the toppings heat up. You can also grill the buns, cut side down on the grill, for about 30 seconds to toast them up at this point. The burgers should be at an internal temperature of 160 F when they are ready. Once cooked, remove from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes before assembling the burgers.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on the bottom side of each bun. Spread some mayo on the top of each bun, add a couple of lettuce leaves, cover each burger and serve.