Summer Grilling: Italian Meatball Burgers
I’ve partnered with Price Chopper and Collective Bias to create these fun and delicious Italian Meatball Burgers. They’re just like your favorite Italian meatball…only grilled!
#PriceChopperBBQ #CollectiveBias
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Ah, it’s summer and the grill is running non-stop in the Spiced household lately. I love it! It takes a lot to stop me from grilling. In fact, these burgers and sausages were grilled in the middle of a pretty hard rainstorm the other night. That’s ok! I didn’t see any lightning, and I’m mostly waterproof. (My shirt wasn’t so much waterproof, on the other hand, but that’s what the dryer is for!) I’d planned on getting pictures of these bad boys on the grill, but I hear that rain and cameras don’t play well together. Anyhoo, these Italian Meatball Burgers were absolutely delicious…and I’d hop back out there in the middle of a rainstorm again tonight to make more!
I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but my wife comes from a large, Italian family. Have you ever wondered what large, Italian families do in the summer? Well, I wondered about that…and then I met my wife and discovered the answer. They eat crabs. Lot and lots of Maryland blue crabs. My wife’s family has a long-standing tradition of getting together in Maryland every summer to relax, enjoy the weather and eat crabs. Of course, there’s more than just crabs. Because the family is so large, there are multiple grills and smokers running pretty much throughout the weekend. It’s a huge party! Kinda like Christmas…except in July.
A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about creating a fun, new burger idea for the grill. Inspired by my wife’s Italian background, I decided to create these Italian Meatball Burgers. Imagine a delicious Italian meatball…just in burger form…and grilled. Add a slice of Provolone cheese and a generous spoonful of marinara sauce, and you’ve got a fun burger idea that is sure to impress your family and friends!
When I was at Price Chopper picking up the Certified Angus Beef to make these burgers, I happened to walk by the sausages. Whoops…that was a mistake. I noticed the new line of American Craft Sausage from Hillshire, and the flavors sounded delicious. I grabbed a pack of the Smoky Bourbon sausages and threw those on the grill along with the Italian Meatball Burgers. A couple of sauteed onions and peppers later, and I had some delicious sausage sandwiches on the table. Let me tell ya, I ate like a king that night! Italian Meatball Burgers and Smoky Bourbon Sausage Sandwiches? You’d think I was making enough delicious food to feed my wife’s entire Italian family!
If you’ve got some grilling plans coming up (and who doesn’t at this time of the year?), then I recommend stopping by the House of BBQ solutions center at your local Price Chopper. They’ve got everything from fruit and veggies for the grill to great quality meat as well. And here’s a cool thing: Price Chopper will season or marinate your meat for free in the store! I’m a pretty big fan of making my own marinades and spice rubs, but sometimes it’s nice to have someone else do it for me…especially when it’s free!
For more grilling inspiration, check out Price Chopper on Facebook and House of BBQ on Pinterest.
Italian Meatball Burgers
Ingredients
For the Meatball Burgers
- ⅔ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion finely diced
- 16 oz. ground beef
- 16 oz. ground pork
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
For the Toppings
- 6 hamburger buns
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- ⅔ cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Let soak for 15 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan. Add the diced onions and cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, or until onions begin to turn slightly soft.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Transfer onions and soaked bread crumbs into a large bowl and add all of the remaining burger ingredients (beef, pork, egg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper and Parmesan cheese). Mix until well combined. (Tip: Take care not to overmix or the burgers may be tough.)
- Shape mixture into 6 patties
- Grill burgers over medium-high heat until cooked (Internal temperature reaches 160°F).
- Place the hamburger buns on the grill for 1-2 minutes. (optional)
- Assemble the burgers with Provolone cheese and marinara sauce.
Looking for more tasty burger recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Hatch Green Chile Burgers
Garbage Plate Burgers
Grilled Mushroom Swiss Burgers
Dude I’m totally digging the Italian meatball burger, it’s like the best of both worlds. Definitely giving this bad boys a try soon!
Thanks so much, Mike! I love when Italian food and American food just do a head-on collision to create something delicious. 🙂
These look absolutely delicious! I’ll pass the recipe onto the grill master in the family.
Haha! Thanks, Laura! Tell the grill master to get ready for some delicious burgers! 🙂
I really shouldn’t read your blog when I’m hungry! This looks soooo good, and all I have for lunch is a salad!! Aren’t those HIllshire American Craft Sausages delicious? I love the different flavors! #client
Those sausages were indeed delicious, Sarah! I couldn’t decide whether I wanted sausages or burgers…so I did 1/2 of each for dinner. Talk about the perfect summer meal! 🙂
gotta put the fresh Mozzarella on them
You are totally right, Jean…fresh mozzarella would be a great addition to these burgers!!
Gosh this looks so good and patty must be so full of flavor!!
Thank you so much, Ami!! This burger was delicious…and now that you reminded me about it, I think I need to make another batch of them this weekend. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!