Grandma Dolores' Hamburgers in the Gravy
This is my mom’s recipe - burgers in tomato and bell pepper sauce, stuffed with mozzarella!
This is my mom’s recipe - burgers in tomato and bell pepper sauce, stuffed with mozzarella!
I figured I would give my mom, Dolores, equal time and share a recipe that she made for us growing up that is now a family favorite in my house as well. Now, the title of this recipe says hamburgers in the gravy, but that does not mean brown gravy...this 'gravy' is tomato sauce...you know - the old gravy/sauce debate! Anyway, mom molded these burgers with her hands (and lots of love) and placed a slice of mozzarella inside each one. When you cut into the burger, the melted mozzarella would ooze out a little - and we loved that!
My mom also served this dish over some rice - which mixed perfectly with the 'gravy' and peppers and onions.
What You Need
From the Store:
(Prices sourced from ShopRite.com)
1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (on sale $1.99/lb) $2.98
1 15 oz. of tomato sauce $0.67
2 green bell peppers – sliced $2.15
1 large onion – sliced $0.50
4 oz. of packaged part skim mozzarella - sliced $1.00
Total $7.30
From Your Pantry:
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Parsley
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
In a large bowl mix the ground meat, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder all together really well with your hands.
To form the burgers: take a patty of ground meat in your hand and flatten it - place a slice of mozzarella on top then more ground meat and form into a burger - making sure to seal the edges tightly to keep the mozzarella inside.
Put some olive oil in a large skillet and brown the hamburgers on both sides.
Once they are brown, remove burgers from the skillet and set aside.
If needed, add some more olive oil to skillet and heat.
Add the sliced peppers and onion to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes - turning frequently.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a few shakes of Italian Seasoning and stir together.
Return the burgers to the skillet, making sure they are all covered with the tomato sauce (if need be you can add additional tomato sauce).
Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour - or until the peppers and onions are soft.
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