Hamburger? Beef burger? I don’t care what you call it as long as you call me to dinner. Hamburgers are a favorite food from the four corners of the United States to the ends of the earth.

There are a zillion ways to make a hamburger, but how do you make “the best” hamburger? With the best recipe selection and the finest ingredients like Jimmy’s Sauces to give your hamburger that classic, savory flavor. Take a look at our five favorite hamburger recipes.

What Exactly Makes Ground Beef “Hamburger Meat”?

Honestly, if you want to make a really good hamburger selecting the best cut of beef for burgers is essential. What makes ground beef hamburger meat? The fact that it is ground beef and you are able to form the meat into patties.

Ground chuck or chuck steak is the most popular choice for hamburger meat because it tastes good, it is affordable, and it is readily available. Ground chuck has a lean-to-fat ratio that gives the cooked meat an ample amount of moisture, texture, and flavor.

If you want to get fancy with it, you can also try different blends of beef. For example, three parts chuck to one-part sirloin is a popular trend with some gourmet chefs out there that take their burgers very seriously.

Another option other than ground chuck is to get ground round and blend it with ground pork. Ground round is a leaner cut of meat than chuck so by adding the pork, it will up the fat content resulting in a juicy, bacon flavor.

If you aren’t into pork, mix in some shredded cheese with the lean ground round to boost the flavor and keep the burger from being dry. Don’t forget to choose an appropriate burger seasoning like Jimmy’s beef seasoning to tenderize and help capture the perfect flavor.

Classic Grilled Hamburger Recipe

Sometimes, the best things in life are surprisingly the simple things like the beauty of the sunrise, the sound of the wind blowing the leaves, and the welcoming smell of hamburgers sizzling over red hot coals.

Have you ever been taking a walk around your neighborhood in the afternoon, this is especially common on a weekend afternoon, and smelled the tantalizing aroma of hamburgers on the grill? If this doesn’t give you food envy, I don’t know what will.

Especially if you have a jam-packed evening with no hope of having time to grill burgers. When I get the opportunity to grill out, I like to keep it simple with a family classic grilled hamburger recipe.

Whether you get your hamburger meat from the grocery store, butcher shop, or a local farm, make sure to get at least 2 ½ pounds of 80/20 ground chuck.

Here is my go-to ingredients list for the best classic hamburger recipe:

• 2 ½ pounds of ground chuck

• 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 Tablespoon of BBQ sauce, such as Jimmy’s Steak Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons of butter- extra points for Amish or Irish butter

• 2 Tablespoons of hamburger seasoning such as Crown National Hamburger Seasoning -  sprinkle this over the raw meat like you would salt, pepper, onion powder.

This classic hamburger recipe is so easy with only 5 ingredients to remember. Serve the burgers on a fresh bun- I like to let the buns toast a minute or two on the grill after removing the patties. If you plan

to add cheese, make sure to put the cheese on right after you remove the burgers. The burgers will still be warm enough to melt the cheese.

Recipe for Hamburger Soup

Does the thought of hamburger soup take you back to your elementary school lunchroom- lunch box complete with a soup thermos with the contents of chunky hamburger soup from a can, saltine crackers, a napkin, and a note from mom?

Well, even though that is a pleasant memory, I would not consider that meal a culinary delight by any means. Put the brakes on that memory...screeching halt.

Now that I have your attention, we have a recipe for hamburger soup that breaks the mold and is more “Grandma’s Kitchen” than “Grammar School Cuisine.”. The smell alone of this savory hamburger soup will draw your children out of their rooms and lure them to the dinner table.

Take a look at the ingredients list and then I will give you the easy to follow instructions. This recipe is great for beginners as it is easy to follow but not to be overlooked by the pros out there. My sister-in-law went to culinary school and she uses this recipe as part of her winter time meal planning.

Ingredients List for Our Favorite Hamburger Soup Recipe

· 1 pound of lean ground hamburger meat (ground chuck 90/10 or 80/20)

· 1 Tablespoon of beef seasoning mix, such as Crown National Hamburger Seasoning

· 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

· 1 medium chopped onion

· 4 chopped celery stalks

· 1 cup of sliced carrots

· 1 can of beef consume

· 1 8oz can of tomato sauce

· 1 16-ounce jar of mild salsa

· 1 pack of frozen corn kernels

· 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

· 1 teaspoon of dried basil

· 5 cups of water or vegetable broth

Directions

1. Sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add in carrots and celery and cook for another two minutes.

2. Add in ground beef and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of Jimmy’s Seasoning for beef. Brown the meat and drain the juice.

3. In a large stock pot, combine the onions, celery, carrots, beef, beef consume, tomato sauce and salsa.

4. Add in the corn kernels (no need to defrost), oregano, basil and 5 cups of water.

5. Stir the contents and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with warm bread or crackers. For an easy, warm and gooey dessert make microwave s'mores. All you need is marshmallows, graham crackers, and a milk chocolate bar.

Recipe for Hamburger Casserole

Looks like the next two weeks are overflowing with activities, appointments, and deadlines. Take one worry off your plate and plan a meal that can be made ahead and frozen to pull out on a busy week night.

Hamburger casserole is at the top of the list because it is a crowd pleaser from the three year old twins to the 73 year old mother-in-law (my mother-in-law is planning to visit this weekend), oh, and the four-legged furry friend that likes to clean up what the twins might drop on the floor.

Planning ahead will leave more time to spend at the table with your loved ones having meaningful conversations. It is also healthier and more economical than going out to eat.

Mimi’s Magic Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients:

-3 cups of uncooked egg noodles

-1 block of 8-ounce cream cheese (softened)

-1 cup of 4% cottage cheese

-4 Tablespoons of butter

-1 ½ pounds of lean ground beef

-1 to 2 Tablespoons of hamburger seasoning mix (such as Crown National Hamburger Seasoning)

-1 small chopped onion

-1 cup of cheddar cheese (shredded)

-1/2 cup of diced green bell pepper

- 1 large (15 ounce) can have diced tomatoes

-1 small can of condensed tomato soup

-1 teaspoon of BBQ Sauce, such as Jimmy’s Steak Sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cooking noodles according to the directions on the bag and drain.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese and melted butter.

4. Next, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 plus minutes until the meat is browned. Drain liquid and return the beef to the skillet. Toss in the onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, tomato soup, green pepper and teaspoon of Jimmy’s Sauce and stir. Just stir long enough to combine the ingredients. The vegetables will cook and soften up during the oven step.

5. Spray a 9X 13-inch glass casserole dish with cooking spray and add ½ of the cooked egg noodles to the bottom of the dish. Next, using half of the cream cheese mixture, spread a layer over the

noodles. After that, use half of the beef a veggie mixture to spread over the cream cheese mixture. Repeat with the other half of the egg noodles, cream cheese mixture and meat and veggie mix. Top with shredded cheese.

6. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until cooked all of the way through.

Hamburger Recipe for a Crockpot

Is your house home base for the holidays? Perhaps your home is home base to the ravenous gang of neighborhood teenagers. If you are planning to feed a crowd and don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen, you should try this delicious Heavenly Hamburger Hash for a Crockpot recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef

• 1 cup of diced sweet yellow onion

• 1 Tablespoon of seasoning salt, such as Jimmy's General Seasoning Salt

• 1 Large can of corn kernels drained

• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

• 1 ½ pounds of Irish Potatoes (the little red ones) chopped in quarters

• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high. Drain the juice. Add meat and onions to the crock pot.

2. Cut potatoes into quarters and add them to crockpot. Dump soup, sprinkle seasoning salt, corn and 1 cup of cheese into the crockpot. Stir and spread out over meat in the crock pot. It is fine if the meat layer gets mixed in with the potatoes.

3. Cook on low in a covered crockpot for 5 hours.

4. Just before serving, sprinkle the other cup of shredded cheese over the hamburger hash and cover for 10 minutes so the cheese will melt.

A Healthy Hamburger Recipe

Looking for healthy, delicious recipes? Hamburgers sometimes get a bad rap because they are considered a comfort food, are served at fast food restaurants, and often times are prepared in “less healthy ways” like topped with fried eggs, brown sugar glazed bacon, onion rings, thick chunks of cheese and calories galore.

That actually sounds delicious, but there are also healthier, tasty ways to prepare hamburgers that will not leave you feeling like you need to take a nap or have your cholesterol checked.

Here are some helpful tips to making a healthy hamburger recipe:

1. Use lean ground chuck or even ground turkey as a lower fat option.

2. Minimize the number of ingredients. Keep it clean and simple with a burger marinating sauce like Jimmy’s Sauce. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons to the ground meat, mix it in, and form individual patties.

3. If you are choosing a lean cut of meat, make sure to spray the burgers with cooking spray so they won’t stick to the grill.

4. Swap out the sesame seed bun with a whole wheat, whole grain bun.

Any of these recipes stand out to you in particular? If so, it's time to get cookin'!