Green Chile Cheeseburgers - Sizzling Summer Series

Since summer grilling often is all about meat or poultry, let's get back to it with our Sizzling Summer Series with Green Chile Cheeseburgers. These burgers are all about summer break fun - full of flavor and kick, with just a little heat. They are perfect as an entrée or an appetizer if you make them as sliders, and they can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free buns. Your guests will love these burgers and make your backyard the place to be for summer fun and the coming gameday feasts.

Beginning with meat, we combine canned fire-roasted chiles and shredded cheese with ground beef, which keeps every bite moist and full of flavor. The mayonnaise is spiced up with ground chile pepper, cumin, and black pepper, then slathered on the bun. A slice of melted pepper jack cheese and lettuce leaves complete this fabulous burger. So grab some buns, invite your fantasy football team for the draft, fire up the grill, and make your own sizzling summer extravaganza!

Serves 4

Green Chile Cheeseburgers Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 4-oz can fire-roasted chopped green chile peppers
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 tsp ground New Mexico chile pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Slices of pepper jack cheese
  • 8 small or 4 regular burger buns (or gluten-free buns)
  • Lettuce

Green Chile Cheeseburgers Directions

  1. Bring the beef to room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the grill.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, green chiles, and grated cheddar cheese with clean hands. Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated; do not over-mix.
  4. Form the mixture into eight small slider-sized burgers or four large ones.
  5. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on how you like your burgers. In the final 30 seconds, top each burger with a slice of pepper jack cheese.
  6. While the burgers are cooking, stir together the mayonnaise, chile powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
  7. When the burgers are cooked, and the cheese on top has melted, remove them to a platter and let sit for 5 minutes.
  8. To assemble, slice each bun in half and slather the bottom with a bit of the mayonnaise sauce. Add lettuce leaves, and top with a burger. Serve with a pile of napkins to catch the dribbles.

Taken from: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2011/09/recipe-for-green-chile-cheeseburgers.html