These Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers feature two seasoned patties stuffed with melty cheese and grilled to perfection. It’s an Italian twist on the traditional cheeseburger.
My parents made these “surprise hamburgers” for our family growing up and we loved biting into them to reveal the delicious, gooey cheese.
When I made them for my family recently, my kids loved taking the first bite to see if they had cheese in theirs. Imagine their surprise when they discovered all of the burgers had cheese in the middle!
This recipe works because it’s:
- Simple to make. You only need 6 ingredients to make these burgers and chances are you have most of them in your pantry and fridge right now!
- Full of flavor. The Italian seasoning and mozzarella cheese really takes the flavor to the next level on these burgers.
- A nice change from the traditional burger. Adults and kids alike will love taking the first bite to see that the cheese is inside the burger instead of on top.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix 1½ pounds ground beef, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until just combined. Do not overmix.
Divide mixture into 12 equal pieces and shape into patties.
Top 6 of the patties with 4-5 mozzarella cheese cubes and then cover each burger with another patty.
Gently press down on the patties and seal the edges well.
Heat a grill to 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes on one side, until browned. Flip each burger and cook another 8-10 minutes until no longer pink in the middle.
Serve with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The easiest way to mix the meat is with your hands! You can easily combine all of the ingredients without overmixing the meat.
A quick tip for making sure you have evenly sized patties is to press the meat flat into a bowl and then score it into 4 equal sections. You then form each of those sections into 3 patties. This way you don’t have any patties that are smaller or larger than the others.
Remember these are stuffed burgers, so they will take longer to cook than the traditional single patty. The trick is to keep the grill at a lower temperature so the outsides don’t get too charred before the middle is cooked properly.
In addition to the toppings listed in the recipe, you could also try these to really punch up the Italian flavor:
- Crispy prosciutto
- Fresh basil leaves
- A spoonful of marinara sauce
- Serve on ciabatta bun
You need to seal the edges of the hamburgers well or they will split apart on the grill.
If you don’t have Italian bread crumbs, you can use plain bread crumbs with 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
Feel free to use any version of mozzarella cheese you have on hand. My mozzarella cheese went bad the day I made these, but thankfully I had 3 perfectly good string cheese in the fridge I could use!
More Like This
Looking for more delicious grilled recipes? You’ll love these!
- Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps
- Grilled Sausage Kabobs
- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
- Hawaiian Turkey Burgers
See even more recipes like these (plus sides, desserts, and drinks) at 25+ Family Summer Dinner Ideas.
FAQs
To make sure your stuffed burgers don’t fall apart while you’re grilling them, you need to make sure that you seal the edges well. If you want to roll both of the patties together to form a ball and then press it into a patty again, your burger will stay together, but the cheese might not all stay in the middle.
If you don’t have breadcrumbs on hand, try any of these substitutes:
-Oats (pulse them in a food processor a few times for a finer texture)
-Crushed potato chips
-Grated parmesan
-Crushed pretzels
If you want the melty goodness of these stuffed burgers without combining two patties together, you can definitely mix the cheese in with the hamburger meat. You would want to use shredded mozzarella instead of cubes because it will mix better with the meat.
I hope your family loves these mozzarella stuffed burgers! If you make them, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
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Italian-Style Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers
Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 3/4 cup total)
Toppings
- 6 hamburger buns
- mayonnaise, to taste
- ketchup, to taste
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 6 tomato slices
Instructions
- Mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide mixture into 12 equal pieces and shape into patties.
- Top 6 of the patties with 4-5 mozzarella cheese cubes and then cover each burger with another patty.
- Gently press down on the patties and seal the edges well.
- Heat a grill to 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes on one side, until browned. Flip each burger and cook another 8-10 minutes until no longer pink in the middle.
- Serve with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise.