ULTIMATE Stuffed Cheeseburger Sliders
Ultimate Cheeseburger Sliders make the perfect gameday grilling grub, featuring pepper jack-stuffed mini burger patties topped with buttery mushrooms, creamy avocado, and crisp spinach!
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A big thanks to Walmart, Kingsford Charcoal, and DataRank for sponsoring this post.
As always, all opinions are my own.
For even more delicious summer barbecue fare, you might enjoy easy and flavorful Grilled Flank Steak, delectable Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs, or The BEST Way to Cook Corn on the Cob!
If you've followed Five Heart Home for any time at all, it's already been well-documented that I am an enthusiastic fan of football season. But as much as I love watching the game itself and cheering for my favorite teams, I also love football food! From cheesy appetizers to slow cooked wonders to specialties from the grill, I can't help but believe that the ol' pigskin and chowing down on amazing food go hand-in-hand.
That's why I'm SO excited to share today's post with y'all! I think I may have found my favorite football-friendly recipe yet in these Ultimate Stuffed Cheeseburger Sliders. Allow to me to break it down for you...
This idea was inspired by my family's favorite Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas with Avocado & Pepper Jack. I've always thought that sliders are the optimal football food because they're small and easy to eat, making them the perfect addition to a spread of appetizers...not to mention the fact that they're an ideal size to be enjoyed by the kiddos. I assumed that the ingredients from my mouthwatering quesadillas would be pretty yummy translated to a burger, but boy did I underestimate exactly how tasty these little guys would be!
Mini seasoned all-beef patties conceal a cube of pepper jack cheese, which gets all melty and gooey as the burgers cook. While the burgers are grilling, a foil packet of buttery, garlic-infused mushrooms is also hanging out on the grill. Once done, the cheese-stuffed burgers and flavorful mushrooms are layered on sweet Hawaiian buns, along with slices of velvety avocado and fresh baby spinach leaves. And let me just tell you that this combination of flavors and textures is absolutely out of this world! Add a side of Baked Seasoned Fries and you've got a meal fit for a king!
Running errands before the big game, my 2-year-old and I popped into Walmart, where I knew we'd find everything we needed for our gameday grill-fest in one handy-dandy location! First, we were in search of the prime burger-making package of ground beef. I was impressed by all of the choices, but my daughter advised that we go with a couple pounds of 85% lean beef for perfectly juicy burgers.
After picking up the rest of our burger ingredients, we headed over to the Home & Garden section where we needed to grab a bag of charcoal for our weekend o' grilling. Again, there were lots of choices...
...but my daughter ultimately deemed the blue bag to be the prettiest. 😉
And let's be honest here...I wasn't going to argue. Kingsford Original Charcoal is a tried-and-true classic! It appears my girl has good taste.
How to Make Them
Back home, it was time to prep the ingredients.
- First I assembled my packet of mushrooms by layering two sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and piling my butter-drenched, garlic-sprinkled mushroom slices in the center.
Then I cubed up some pepper jack cheese and seasoned my ground beef with grated Parmesan (for lots of flavor!), fresh minced garlic, salt, and pepper.- From there, I formed about 20 large "meatballs." After pressing a cube of cheese into the center of each one, I gently formed the patty around it, shaping each slider so that it was about 2-inches across. (And if you don't care for spicy pepper jack, mild Monterrey Jack would be equally delicious!)
My capable grill master took over from here.
Then I cubed up some pepper jack cheese and seasoned my ground beef with grated Parmesan (for lots of flavor!), fresh minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
My capable grill master took over from here.
He already had the Kingsford charcoal ready to go...
...so it was time to grill some burgers!
After a few minutes per side, our cute, cheesy little patties were perfectly cooked!
So were those mouthwatering mushrooms.
How to Assemble
From this point, the assembly process was easy enough: pillowy slider bun, juicy, pepper jack-stuffed burger, creamy avocado, crisp spinach, and garlic-buttery mushrooms.
And then?
Time to DIG IN!!!
These Ultimate Stuffed Cheeseburger Sliders were a huge hit with my crew! Football, family, and fun are a natural fit at our house...
...and I can guarantee that these mini burgers will be a regular fixture on our gameday menu all season long.
I hope you have a chance to try them, too...I have no doubt that it will be love at first bite. 😉 Enjoy, friends!
More Yummy Gameday Grub
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread with Bacon, Garlic, Cheddar & Swiss
- Skillet S'mores Dip
- Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sliders with Creamy Broccoli Slaw
ULTIMATE Stuffed Cheeseburger Sliders
Ingredients
For the mini burger patties:
- 2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
For the mushrooms:
- 2 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil
- 16 ounces white mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
To assemble the sliders:
- 20 slider buns, such as small Hawaiian rolls
- 3 large avocados, thinly sliced
- 3 ounces baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Prep the grill by making a charcoal fire.
TO PREPARE THE MINI BURGER PATTIES:
- Place ground beef in a large bowl. Lightly scramble egg and pour over beef. Sprinkle grated Parmesan, minced garlic, salt, and pepper over beef. Use hands to gently mix all ingredients until well-combined. Do not overmix or pack down, but the egg and seasonings should be evenly distributed throughout the beef.
- Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop out the beef and gently roll into 20 balls. Press a cube of pepper jack into the center of each meatball. Carefully form the meat around the cube, making sure that the cheese is totally encased. Slightly flatten into patty with a 2-inch diameter. Repeat until all patties are formed. Set aside.
TO PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS:
- Place mushrooms and garlic in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Gently mixed until all mushrooms are evenly coated. Layer two foil sheets on top of each other. Pour mushrooms into center of foil and bring up each side. Fold the top together and roll down several times. Repeat on each end until foil packet is tightly sealed.
TO GRILL:
- When grill is heated to medium-high, place foil packet of mushrooms on grill grate. Cook for 10 minutes.
- After mushrooms have been cooking for 10 minutes, flip foil packet over and move to the side (over indirect heat is fine) to make room for burgers. Brush grate with oil to prevent slider patties from sticking. Space patties out on grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until nicely browned on the bottom. Use a spatula to flip patties and cook on the other side for about 4 more minutes or until meat is just cooked through. Transfer sliders to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Remove packet of mushrooms from the grill (whose total cooking time should have been 15 to 20 minutes), being careful of hot steam when you open the foil.
TO ASSEMBLE SLIDERS:
- Place a mini burger on the bottom half of a slider bun. Layer with avocado slices, spinach leaves, grilled mushrooms, and top bun. Skewer with a toothpick or bamboo pick to hold everything together.
These were GREAT! So much flavor!
The food is the best part of football season. These burgers were crazy good!