Looking for a "lighter" way to have a cheeseburger, no tofu please!

frankiesgirl21

Lizzy622 wrote: »

Queenmunchy wrote: »

Because lean beef can be so dry, I mix it with finely chopped mushroom and it gives moisture without taking away from the meaty flavor.

Yum that sounds like something I would like to try.

I do this also. And use dehydrated minced onion to help hold moisture....

enterdanger

I would just go to the gym for some extra calories and eat the damn burger if I really wanted it.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I'm in the "if you want a burger have a burger camp". If you make it at home though, it's certainly easier to make them fit into your plan. I make mine with 85/15, but you could easily use a leaner meat or use turkey (which gets too dry IMHO). This is what I do:

1lb 85/15 ground beef
4oz cheddar cheese shredded or small cubes
1 egg
1T Worchester sauce
1/4c onion grated
salt and pepper to taste

I mix by hand until just combined and form into 1/4lb patties. That's it. I can't do gluten so I use lettuce for my "bun" which actually saves around 150 calories and top with other veggies like mushroom, tomatoes, onions, etc. I like grating the cheese because then it gets evenly distributed in the burger patty itself.

mistress8956

I like ground chicken burgers, or if I have time to meal prep I have a recipe for black bean and quinoa burgers. I like cheese but usually skip the bun

JeepHair77

I love the heck out of a cheeseburger. It's my favorite thing - but I've realized a few things: 1) I'm a snob. If I'm going to eat a cheeseburger, it's going to be a really, really good one - so I only eat the ones I make at home or the ones from a handful of favorite burger joints. 2) Honestly, I can't ACTUALLY finish a whole cheeseburger. I mean, I can, but I usually feel crappy afterward. So when I eat a cheeseburger, I usually split one with my daughter. 1/2 a cheeseburger, even a "bad" one, really isn't that bad. 3) Fries are rarely worth it. I can count on one hand the number of places that make a French fry worth eating. So I almost always skip the fries.

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MelissaPhippsFeagins

93/7 ground beef mixed with diced onions and red pepper flakes
Gouda cheese

I have celiac disease so I never have a bun. ( they don't taste good enough to spend the money or the calories.)

lemurcat12

meganridenour wrote: »

I agree with the above posted about cutting the cheese. Also, I make turkey burgers rather than beef. They are AMAZING and better than any restaurant burger I've ever had. If I want to cut more calories, I do a lettuce wrap. I don't miss the cheese at all, and that's saying a lot because I would marry cheese if it were a person.

I suggest cutting up onions to add to the meat mixture, plus Worcestershire and mccormick's Montreal steak seasoning.

Good suggestions, except lean ground beef will always beat ground turkey for me. The only way I've found to like ground turkey is in a meatball (I like non ground turkey just fine).

I love cheese, but I don't find it an important addition to a burger at all. I prefer to save it for other uses (like really good cheese on its own, when it can be savored).

I don't care about buns, so go for the lowest cal whole wheat I can find or else do bunless so I can have roasted potatoes with it. But sometimes the whole bun experience is nice, and my homemade burgers are still never many calories. Onions and spicy brown mustard on it with a pickle on the side -- yum.

cwolfman13

I make burgers at home all of the time...93% and pre-sliced sharp cheddar.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

While reducing, I ate at burgerfi a few times. They will give you a lettuce-wrapped cheeseburger with a wide choice of toppings. Depending on your day, you could even have a double patty. You probably cannot also have fries.

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Francl27

I have bunless burgers all the time and I wish it satisfied my cheeseburger craving when I have one... but it just doesn't.

And yeah I totally agree with the comment about French fries... I can think of maybe a couple places that have fries that are actually worth the calories. It's easy to make at home for less calories too (just use a bit of oil and bake).

kas1317

ground turkey. make patties like a hamburger. I put mustard on them (no calories)

Ultima_Morpha

Leaner ground beef, cooked medium rare with Laughing Cow Swiss wedge spread on top. Thin buns.

rhtexasgal

If you have the lean ground beef, mix some Jimmy Dean ground sausage in with it to add the "moisture" it needs so as not to be dry. A one ounce serving is only 90 calories ... then you can forgo a bun and wrap that juicy cheeseburger in large lettuce leaves. 93/7 ground beef is typically around 170 calories for 4 ounces. Add the 1 ounce of sausage and 1 oz of gouda cheese (about 90 calories) for a total of around 350 calories ... that is a pretty good calorie count in my book!

jenfitnessmama

You could use lettuce instead of a bun

MinmoInk

@lemurcat12 mmm spicy brown mustard and raw onions for me

rsleighty

Ground chicken. Season simply with pepper and salt if you use it. Make patties and cook to 165. Split one bun in half. Put one patty on each half of the bun. Top with mashed avocado, sliced onion and garlic pepper. Squeeze a little fresh lime over the top.
This has become my new favorite food!!

lauraesh0384

If I want to have a burger I'll buy the 93/7 beef. It's a lot more expensive at almost $5/lb but it's only 160 calories per 4 ounces. We also buy turkey burger but that's 250 calories so I tend to not use that for burgers knowing I'll be putting mayo and cheese on it and using a bun.

JuliaHaleFitness

As long as you are using lean ground meat--beef is fine! Turkey, chicken and bison are great to. I usually dice up onions and mushrooms and sauté those to add to the meat so I can a big burger and can't tell the difference! I go bunless, but add avocado for creaminess and healthy fat, sautéed onions and mushrooms on top and fresh tomato for crunch!!

questionfear

I am all about skipping the bun. I've also recently discovered the joys of getting a burger with a fried egg on it (best if the yolk is still runny), and I would much rather cut up a bunless burger with an egg than have a non-egged burger with a bun.

And yea, throw some lettuce and tomato under that and it's the best...mmm...

cross2bear

I use x lean ground beef and mix it half and half with ground chicken to make up for the reduced fat in the beef. You can of course play with the proportions to get something that you prefer.

CrabNebula

I learned that burgers taste far better without a bread bun and usually without cheese. I wrap mine in lettuce or cabbage, add onion, horseradish, ketchup, mustard. I think the bun takes away from the taste of the meat. Thinwhiches are OK, but might as well just save nearly 100 cals and not bother. I rarely taste the cheese well enough in a burger to make a difference. I will occasionally lightly sprinkle something like blue, feta, or goat cheese on my burger, but otherwise, I don't bother.

When I want to spluge on a burger, I will buy bison. My local Costco just started carrying ground bison again, so I will be picking some up next week. Bison is just...omg, you won't go back to ground beef for burgers. All of my family are bison burger converts. Otherwise, we go with salmon or turkey burgers.

ashleyjongepier

I used lettuce as a bun the other day, game changer.

sourcandies

There's Gardien Veggie Burgers - 110 calories each, rice based.
I really liked them, they have visible vegetables in the pattie and they're spiced similarly to sausage.

Mapalicious

4 oz ground venison or bison/buffalo (flavored w/ salt, onion, garlic)

1/2 of a hamburger bun on the bottom
+ 1 roasted portobello mushroom cap on top

1/2 ounce of sharp cheddar cheese

Lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard

YUM!

marphoria

Queenmunchy wrote: »

Because lean beef can be so dry, I mix it with finely chopped mushroom and it gives moisture without taking away from the meaty flavor.

Oooh, this sounds like a great idea! Need to try this next time I make burgers.

For OP: I make my burgers with lean ground beef (seasoned with salt/pepper/paprika), gouda or havarti cheese, avocado, onion and spinach. Sometimes a fried egg and/or bacon for extra protein.

I used to love brioche buns (and just eat half of the burger), but I recently started eating my burgers without the bun and don't miss it :]

vikinglander

Go to Whole Foods Market. Buy grass fed 90% ground beef. Just pay the $9.99/lb. You'll be glad you did. Buy a small piece of their buffalo milk semi-soft cheese. Go to the cheese counter and ask for it. Go home and shape yourself some 4 oz. patties. Lightly salt them. Sear the patties in butter on medium high heat. Only 3 minutes per side. If you cook them past medium rare I will come to your house and take them away from you. When you flip them, put a half ounce slice of the cheese on them. Serve them over a bed of greens with your favorite dressing. Drain the fats from the pan over the greens, too.
Do NOT put ketchup on these!
This is true heaven.

superfox12082

amyrebeccah wrote: »

I don't like the light buns because they just kind of taste like cotton to me, but I switch out buns for a light english muffin, which is 100 calories. Otherwise I do what people do above, leaner beef, carefully measured cheese. Sometimes even a slice of bacon and/or some bleu cheese. Cheeseburgers are pretty easy to fit to calories.

Thomas makes an excellent multi grain english muffin that is only 100 calories. They're great! And don't taste like cardboard. I've been using them for everything.

Brithicks

I use 93/7 ground beef, ground sirloin, or ground turkey. Mix in a half of a chopped onion and a chopped zucchini and add burger seasoning (make my own). Divide into burgers and grill them up. I put mine on top of roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes with a quarter avocado, a couple table spoons of homemade green chili, and a table spoon of fage greek yogurt. YUM! I make hubbies an open faced cheese version of mine with a bun on the bottom and the potatoes on the side, and my girls like theirs with cheese, no bun, and potatoes on the side with homemade ranch. I just don't really miss the bun at all. But if you need a bun, try a slim one or just a bottom? I would rather eat avocado on top of everything and save cheese for a really good cheese on its own.