“Bacon” Cheddar “Hamburgers”

A lovely, meatless meat burger with meatless bacon and very not vegan cheese...on a bap!

For the veggie cooking class yesterday I made up this vegetarian meat burger recipe after I saw the cover of a recent Gourmet magazine that touted a manly meat burger. It's bold picture and minimalist recipe of mainly just ground beef, cheese and bacon challenged me to try and vegetarianize it! Meat eaters don't seem to care for it all that well, but I guess it's just one of those examples of the fact that I haven't eaten meat in 8 or 9 years...probably don't remember what it is supposed to taste like! But vegetarians seem to enjoy it - well I've only tested it on me and Michael so far...

“Bacon” Cheddar “Hamburgers”

Servings: 4

Time: less than 30 min active and total

Price: <$20.00 total; about $5.00 per burger

Nutrition (per serving):

Calories: 382

Protein: 35.1g

Fat: 12.9g

Saturated Fat: 6.0g

Carbohydrates: 22.5g

Fiber: 0.9g

Cholesterol: 29.8mg

Sodium: 1,993.4mg

5oz package veggie bacon

¾ (10oz) - 14oz tube of ground veggie beef

¾ (10oz) - 14oz tube of ground veggie sausage

½ tsp salt and pepper, each

2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted

4oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 4 slices

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until browned.

2. Mix together the beef, sausage, salt, and pepper. Form mixture into four patties about 1- ¼” thick.

Heat large nonstick skillet or grill and coat with cooking spray. When it is hot, place burgers onto surface. Brush with melted butter.

4. Cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes on each side, brushing with butter frequently.

5. Top the burger with cheese during the last few minutes of cooking, if using.

Mickey likes it!