Fire up the grill for a hand-held, soup-inspired, fantastic grilled supper: Â Stuffed French Onion Soup Sliders!
Think savory French Onion Soup – beefy broth, sweet caramelized onions, melted cheese, and toasted bread – in slider form. I want to pinch their baby burger cheeks!
I don’t know how or why I came to crave these stuffed burgers (gosh I’m interesting) but I do know that we’re on day 2 of “sticky floor”, aka hot & humid, weather around here, and nothing sounds better than a quick dinner made primarily on the grill. These are soooooo good, and really easy too!
Start the sliders by caramelizing a couple jumbo sweet onions, which are arguably the star of both French Onion Soup AND these sliders. Just peel the onions, cut them in half, then thinly slice each half.
Next, melt 1 Tablespoon each butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Like a 5 out of 10. You want these babies to cook looow and slooow.
Add the onions, toss to coat in the butter and oil, then let them cook, stirring every so often, for 20-30 minutes.
Slowly the onions start to transform and sweeten up.
The natural sugars in the onion will caramelize, and soon you’ll have a skillet full of what I fondly refer to as, onion candy.
Seriously, you won’t believe how sweet these suckers get!
Mmkay. While the onions are caramelizing, get to work on the slider portion of the program. You’ll need 1lb lean ground beef (I used 90/10) and 2 Tablespoons Onion Soup & Dip Mix (that’s half of 1 packet.)
The flavor from the beef mimics the savory broth of French Onion Soup, while the onion soup & dip mix contains a perfect blend of yummy, soup spices.
Add in 1/4 cup water, then mix it all up with your hands.
Form the mixture into 8, equal sized balls. I usually divide the beef into quarters in the bowl, then divide each quarter in half to make sure everyone comes out the same size.
Next, turn your attention to da cheese. Fontina! My favorite cheese, due to its mild taste, creamy texture, and tremendous melting abilities.
Fontina is typically sliced then broiled over bowls of French Onion Soup, but today we’re gonna use it to stuff inside the sliders.
Cut the cheese into 8 cubes, then press your thumb into the middle of each beef ball and stuff a cube inside. Seal the beef tightly around the cheese so it doesn’t leak out while the sliders are grilling. Press the balls into patties, then head out to the grill.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then grill the sliders for 5-6 minutes a side. Do not grill over high heat, as the cheese will burst out of the sliders and onto the grates. Wasted melted cheese is a terrible thing.
During the last minute or so, pop the slider rolls onto the grill to toast up. It’s my nod to French Onion Soup’s toasted bread hunk floating under the cheese and amongst the beefy broth. I used tea rolls, but any small bun will do.
When the sliders are cooked through, remove them to a plate, cover with foil, and let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
Place the rested sliders onto the toasted buns, top with caramelized onions, and dig in!
You could literally put caramelized onions on anything, and I would gobble it up. They are sticky-sweet, and insanely delish.
The molten flow of fontina stuffed in the center comes in a close second though, and I just love how the onion soup & dip mix makes these sliders taste just like their soupy sister.
Plus, MINI THINGS!
Have a good one!
Elyse 05.03.2012
Yum! I can’t wait until we start up our grill again, as these babies are now the FIRST thing I want to make!! Thank you!
Villy @ For the love of Feeding 05.03.2012
These are so good I think I almost cried a bit..
CJ - Food Stories 05.03.2012
Great easy summertime recipe. Love the cheesey surprise in the middle.
Crystal @ A Lovin' Forkful 05.02.2012
My mouth is totally watering right now, no joke!
Jamie 05.02.2012
What if I put caramelized onions on….COOKED CARROTS, hm?? Heehee =]
Iowa Girl Eats 05.03.2012
I did have to think about this for a good 4 minutes…the answer is….YES! I would try, anyways! Excuse me while I go gag at the thought though. ;)
Jamie 05.03.2012
Oh, the things we do for food. But ESPECIALLY for caramelized onions!
Michelle (Running the Halls) 05.02.2012
OMG! You have just made my husband’s week with this recipe! Thanks :)
Melissa 05.02.2012
Is it me or do the look a bit undercooked (pink) inside? Must be an American thing…
I’ve always wanted to eat french onion soup but hate onions…all that melted cheese looks heavenly!
Emily 05.03.2012
I agree, my husband would want them to be cooked till brown all the way through. I know that’s hard to do with stuffed burgers but that’s how we eat them (just sayin)
Thanks for Saying something Melissa!
Iowa Girl Eats 05.03.2012
It’s definitely cooked through!
Michelle L. 05.02.2012
What a great idea! And I am a big fan of cheese on the inside of burgers :) Pics look great !
Kelly 05.02.2012
Juicy Lucy Reinvented
Ryan @ Spicy Richmond 05.02.2012
These look heavenly. My boyfriend will DIE when he sees these. Looks like they’ll be making their way on our dinner menu soon!
Annie 05.02.2012
This looks very similar to what Rachel Ray did on her show this month.
Maura @ My Healthy 'Ohana 05.02.2012
I love all your stuffed burger recipes, this one sounds really delicious!!
Michelle (Better with Berries) 05.02.2012
What an amazing idea! I love french onion soup, and these are so cute in slider form :-)
karenc 05.02.2012
I love fontina cheese so I will be anxious to make these! I just want you to know how much I enjoy your blog – it is my favorite – and I am not biased because I am from Iowa either! :-) Your recipes, photos and interesting writings are fantastic!
Iowa Girl Eats 05.03.2012
Thanks Karen! :)
Kris 05.02.2012
You are killin me! These look amazing. I am a HUGE FOS (French onion soup) fan. Thanks!!!
katie 05.02.2012
Yum!!! Always look forward to your evening posts. Now i know what im makin for supper!
Megan 05.02.2012
Oh my gosh, this looks incredible! Definitely bookmarking for a future use. :)
erica 05.02.2012
there is a pool of drool on my desk right now. that looks amazing! i love french onion soup. and burgers.
Blog is the New Black 05.02.2012
OMG, I totally made these (sans stuffage) back in December… great reminder!
Monica 05.02.2012
Ohmygoodness these look AMAZING! Will have to make them soon. Thanks!