New Jersey Bariatric Center
sign in
menu

NJBC Eats: Stuffed Burgers

By Dana Babeu, R.D. | July 2, 2020

Summer is BBQ season and one of my favorite food times of the year because, let’s face it, what doesn’t taste better on the grill? I like to meal prep in the Summer by thinking of all the yummy foods I can have instead of what I can’t or shouldn’t have. One of my favorite things is trying out classic foods with a twist. Stuffed burgers are a fun way to mix up flavors and textures. Start with your choice of ground turkey, beef or lamb. Make your patties slightly smaller than you normally would because you will need a top and bottom to make one whole burger. Always be sure to pinch the edges to form a tight seal around your burgers. Season your patties with salt and pepper or any other seasoning blend you like. 

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

  1. Try stuffing a beef burger with blue cheese and topping with marinated mushrooms.
  2. Season turkey burgers with chili lime or taco seasoning and stuff with sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese. Serve with fresh tomato and avocado slices or a spoonful of pico de gallo. 
  3. Greek-inspired lamb burgers stuffed with feta are one of my summertime favorites. Chop a few olives and fresh mint leaves to mix with feta cheese and place between two ground lamb patties. Grill and serve with tomato and cucumber salad and a side of tzatziki sauce. 

Burgers can be eaten with a knife and fork or wrapped in lettuce leaves. If you just can’t make do without a bun, swapping a regular sized roll for a whole grain sandwich thin or deli flat will cut the carbs roughly in half.

Dana Babeu, RD, is a registered dietitian at New Jersey Bariatric Center, a medical & surgical weight loss center with offices in Springfield, Somerville, Hoboken, East Brunswick, Hackettstown and Sparta, New Jersey. She provides pre-operative and post-operative nutritional counseling to New Jersey Bariatric Center’s Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, LAP-BAND (gastric band) and revision patients, in addition to dietary counseling for patients in our Medical Weight Loss program.
chevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram