Italian Burgers

Note: This high-calorie recipe is especially for teens with cystic fibrosis (CF), who may need additional calories to meet their nutritional needs.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces ground beef, 70% lean
  • 4 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
  • ½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
  • 4 1-ounce slices whole-milk mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 hamburger buns
  • ¼ cup warm pizza sauce, store-bought or already prepared

Directions:

  1. Prepare grill.
  2. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl. Form into two patties about an inch thick.
  3. Grill patties about 5 inches from coals, about 6 minutes per side, until cooked through.
  4. Top each burger with two slices of mozzarella about 30 seconds before removing burgers from the grill.
  5. Brush olive oil on the inside of each hamburger bun and lightly toast on grill until golden.
  6. Put 1/8 cup of warm pizza sauce on each hamburger bun, then place a burger on the bun.

Serves: 2

Serving size: 1 burger patty with bun

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
662 calories
32 g protein
47 g fat
790 mg sodium
403 mg calcium

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Reviewed by: Rupal Christine Gupta, MD