Eat Fit Not Fat- Grilled Swiss and Mushroom Patty Melt

I found this weeks recipe on the infamous Pinterest. I was doing my daily scan of delicious and not so nutritious recipes on the Pinterest food newsfeed when I came across this recipe. I thought to myself "No way can this be a healthy version of a burger...." but lo and behold this recipe packs out approx 400 calories and 10 grams of fat. Not bad for a tasty and juicy burger dinner using actual ground beef and cheese! Plus it was super easy to make. We grilled on our stove top griddle, but feel free to grill your patties on your outdoor grill.

Setting Up

Makes 4 burgers

• 1 pound  96% or 93% lean ground beef
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, 1/2 of onion diced, the other half thinly sliced
• a few shakes of Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 (8-10 ounce) package pre-sliced mini Portobello mushrooms
• 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark lager beer, we used Brooklyn Lager, delicious
• 8 (1.1-ounce) slices rye bread
• 4 (0.67-ounce) slices ultra thin swiss cheese

1) Chop onion. Dice half of the onion and place into a medium-sized bowl. Slice other half of onion and place aside for sautéing with mushrooms later. Combine diced onion, ground beef and a couple shakes of Montreal Steak seasoning with a couple shakes of salt and pepper in bowl.

2) Form 4 equal size patties. Remember you're making a patty melt not a hamburger. Make your patties pretty flat, about the same size as your bread.

3) In a medium sized saute pan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil. Add mushrooms, remaining sliced onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer; cook 30 seconds or until thick. Remove from heat; keep warm.

4)  Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. I brushed my griddle with oil.  Add patties; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.

5) When patties are done, remove from large pan. Wipe pan clean; heat over medium-high heat.  Re oil griddle or pan with 1-2tsp of oil so your bread does not stick. I also used my brush to lightly brush 1 side of each piece of bread.  Place 4 bread slices, coated sides down, onto griddle. Top each with 1 patty, 1 cheese slice, and one-fourth of mushroom mixture. Top with remaining bread slices; coat with cooking spray. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned.

We served ours with a side salad of spinach, strawberries and feta. We would definitely make this one again and it was a super easy Sunday night dinner.

Calorie Break Down:

Eat Fit Not Fat- Grilled Swiss and Mushroom Patty Melt- Approx. 400 calories and 10 grams of fat per sandwich

Denny's Mushroom and Swiss Burger- 860 calories, 48 grams of fat

Chili's Mushroom and Swiss Burger- 1,300 calories, 74 grams of fat ( with fries)

McDonald's Mushroom and Swiss Burger- 770 calories, 40 grams of fat

Recipe adapted from : http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mushroom-provolone-patty-melts-10000002012768/