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

veggiecanner

i skip the bread,

improvedchristine

i use lean ground turkey and I make my burgers and all sandwiches open faced. half the calories on the bread

amusedmonkey

Speaking of lean burgers, we don't usually have lean meat available but once I was able to get some and the burgers were dry and lacked this juicy satisfying bite. Any tips so I don't end up making something underwhelming out of a very expensive product in the future?

To OP: I usually find it best to "bank" or "rearrange" calories for a decent burger with a decent bread. If something is only slightly lower in calories, why risk unsatisfying substitutions when you can have the real thing, albeit less often? Most decent and nicely sized burgers are about 500-600 calories. A low fat version would be around 300-350 calories or something. It's easy to come up with 250 extra calories from saving elsewhere or exercising extra for a couple of days.

mlinci

I think just skipping the fries and substituting them for a salad makes it a decent meal choice. You can go for a smaller amount of a strong cheese to maximise on flavour - last time I made mine, I used about 25g of extra strong cheddar.
I also had a healthy coleslaw on the side (I mixed a couple of spoonfuls of deli coleslaw with much more shredded cabbage, carrots, peppers and lemon juice for about 100 calories per massive serving). It was wonderful with the burger.

flrancho

A lot of times I will use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground sirloin. I do sometimes buy frozen veggie patties and give grilled Portobello mushroom caps and used those as the "burger".

I believe I usually use Arnold or Nature's Own whole wheat burger/sandwich buns. They're not low calorie, but I do feel they're healthier than white burger buns.

mamadon

We found these precooked hamburger patties at Costco. They were actually pretty amazing for frozen precooked patties. I think their called Angus choice beef patties. Their 280 calories
Patty: 280
Franz hamburger bun: 130
Ketchup: 20
Cheese slice: 40
Total: 470.

Queenmunchy

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.

Francl27

arditarose wrote: »

MichelleLei1 wrote: »

Calories/ Carbs/ Fat/ Protein/ Sugar/ Fiber

Something like this could work nicely. Under 300 calories without any additional toppings.

Must find that bun.

I've NEVER found those buns.

But yeah, I use 90% beef (leaner and it's not as satisfying for me), just one slice of 2% American cheese (50 calories), and a bit of ketchup and mayo.

Although yeah I don't buy hamburger buns anymore, and I just need to find a way to make mine lower calories (guessing I need to flatten the dough so they are thin but still big enough for a burger)... I haven't had a burger in a while.

Lizzy622

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.

frankiesgirl21

RoseTheWarrior wrote: »

CassidyScaglione wrote: »

Have half a cheeseburger!

I agree with this. Hubby and I do this.

Me and mine too with soup or salad.....

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.

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.