the "nora burger" & variations

i have experimented with this burger recipe for about the last 6 years and this is an approximate recipe... i never measure, so we'll never know for sure.


Nora's Burgers:
for the ground beef, i honestly prefer to get 80-85 % lean, because it makes a juicier burger... in fact if i get the ones with less fat i often add 2 Tablespoons of butter because it makes the burgers SO much better... trust me on this one.

for each pound of ground beef, add:
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar (can use Splenda brown sugar if making low carb burgers)
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. season salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil


form into 4 or 5 hamburger patties. grill on grill or grill pan on medium-medium high heat.
i LOVE my grill pan and use it at least 3 times a week. it is such a nice alternative to the outdoor grill... and is much easier to clean.

(and i know i am pathetic, but i always make a little baby burger for our dog, paisley)

we have been trying to limit carbs in our diet. i found these pitas that have only 7 net carbs, which is ridiculous, so we like to eat our burgers in them... which is much easier than eating them wrapped in a lettuce leaf.

a few variations:
swiss stuffed burgers- 

for these burgers, use the basic burger recipe from above.

make a very thin burger patty, about 1/4" thick. place 2 or 3 pieces of swiss cheese in the center of the patty. 

(this is actually mozzerella from the pizza burgers, but so you can picture it better...)

then make another 1/4" thick patty, slightly smaller than the bottom patty. place on top of the cheese and pinch the edges and "re-patty" it to form one burger.
grill 5-7 minutes on each side. the burgers will seem thick because of the cheese, but don't need to cook longer... they actually cook faster than "regular" burgers because the meat part of the burger is thinner.


greek burgers-

i LOVE greek food, so i decided to try to incorporate that into a burger.
i used the basic burger recipe, but substituted 1/2 tsp. dill for the basil.
i put crumbled feta in the middle of the greek patties using the same method as in the swiss burger recipe.

i also made a cucumber sour cream to go on the burgers-
cucumber-dill sauce-
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 cucumber chopped finely
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. splenda
1/8 t. garlic powder
pinch of salt


combine all ingredients. will keep for 2 or 3 days.


pizza stuffed burgers-

(***this is our new FAVORITE!!!!***)

using the method from the swiss burger recipe [above], stuff burger patties with fresh mozzerella and pepperoni. 

 grill at medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side. 

serve on toasted buns with pizza sauce and whatever "pizza toppings" you desire.

(we had grilled mushrooms and green olives on ours)

for low-carb burgers serve in low-carb pitas

****warning, these become addictive... this coming from someone who rarely craves beef.