Meatballs and Mozzarella...gooey goodness!

Last week we were in need of a quick dinner on Wednesday before our small group. Looking around the kitchen I found the perfect three ingredients for our meal...a few burger buns that needed to be used, fresh mozzarella, and ground beef. What does that make? Well, the gooiest, yummiest, meatball burgers:)

I have made meatball burgers before with great results, so I continued this time with the same tried and true recipe from Cooking Light. Actually I think what makes this meal so wonderful for us is the vegetable that goes with it...Scrumptious Garlic Fries.

This was the perfect meal paired with a glass of red wine, well maybe not the best pairing but it sure tasted great!



Here is the recipe:

ITALIAN MEATBALL BURGERS

8 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage (I use regular italian sausage, and only 2-3 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (Omitted)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground sirloin
Cooking spray
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
6 (2-ounce) Italian bread rolls, split
3/4 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen) (I used homemade marinara)

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Remove casings from sausage. Combine sausage, oregano, basil, salt, fennel seeds, garlic powder, and ground sirloin. Divide beef mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties over; grill 2 minutes. Divide fresh mozzarella cheese evenly over patties, and grill an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.

Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce and top half of roll.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 375(33% from fat); FAT 13.9g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 28.1g; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 130mg; SODIUM 894mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.7g

GARLIC FRIES

2-3 potatoes, cut and sliced into fries
3 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
2 T butter, melted
2 T parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Place cut fries and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Shake until coated. Place evenly on a rimmed baking sheet coated with and place in oven.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until golden brown.
4. Melt butter and garlic in microwave, pour over fries. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with parsley.