Let me introduce you to the ultimate blue cheese burger! These elevated grilled cheeseburgers are topped with creamy Gorgonzola cheese and savory wine sautéed mushrooms and onions. And to make them even better, the blue cheese burgers sit on top of sweet oven roasted tomatoes for a true explosion of flavors!
A well made blue cheese burger is my version of the ultimate cheeseburger! A perfectly grilled burger patty is topped with melty and pungent blue cheese (I used creamy gorgonzola), sautéed mushrooms and onions and sweet roasted cherry tomatoes that ever so gently burst.
To make this even more extravagant, a simple creamy and spicy mayo is spread onto the burger buns. Think of the burger sauce as a spicier Russian dressing with mayonnaise, ketchup, sriracha and horseradish.
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📋 Ingredients
Blue Cheese Burger
- Ground Beef: Look for 80/20 ground beef, which means that there is 20% fat, which will keep the burgers juicy and flavorful.
- Blue Cheese: Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese that is incredibly creamy and melts really well works so well for blue cheese burgers. Other blue cheese options are Roquefort or stilton.
- Brioche Buns: These are light and buttery and a classic for cheeseburgers.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Because there is so much flavor going on with the blue cheese and other toppings, all you need is simple salt and pepper to season the outside of the burgers.
Toppings
- Olive Oil and Butter: Both are used to sauté the onions and mushrooms.
- Red Onion: Sliced thin, red onions become sweet and caramelize very well. You can also use sweet yellow onion.
- Mushrooms: Use either button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, also called baby Bella mushrooms. Use a lightly damp paper towel to wipe away any dirt before slicing.
- Red Wine: Just a splash is all you need when sautéing the mushrooms and onion. You don't need to use anything fancy, a simple table red wine is perfect. If red wine isn't available, you can use white wine or chicken stock.
- Cherry Tomatoes: As the cherry tomatoes slowly roast, they become sweet and tender, making them a fantastic layer to add to the blue cheese burgers. If cherry tomatoes are not available, slice medium vine tomatoes and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes until lightly caramelized.
- Garlic Cloves: Add a few cloves to the cherry tomatoes to roast alongside. The garlic cloves will soften and become sweet. When layering the burger, gently smash some of the garlic cloves with the cherry tomatoes.
Burger Sauce
- Mayonnaise: The base of the burger sauce and Hellman's is the best mayo for this as well as Hawaiian mac salad.
- Ketchup: Really all you need is mayo and ketchup for a great burger sauce, if you don't like spice.
- Sriracha: Just a splash gives the sauce a bit of sweetness and spice. Sriracha is one of our favorite hot sauces and we always have a bottle on hand to drizzle on top of everything from tuna poke nachos and chicken katsu.
- Horseradish: Another staple we always have around. a tablespoon of horseradish gives great earthy and spicy flavor to creamy sauces.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Other Blue Cheese Options: Roquefort is a creamy and slightly salty French blue cheese that will melt very well on burgers.
- Instead of roasting cherry tomatoes, thickly slice medium sized tomatoes and roast for 10-15 minutes.
⏲️ Instructions
Form the burgers. Form the burgers into 4 burger patties, lightly working the meat together. Make a small indent with your thumb in the middle of the burger. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
Roast the Cherry Tomatoes. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves in an oven safe dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tomatoes and garlic soften. The remove and set aside.
Sautè the Onions. In a large skillet, drizzle with olive oil and add the butter and place over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced red onions and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the Mushrooms. Next add the sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften. Pour the red wine in and let the wine reduce for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and mushrooms together and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the Burgers. Cook the burgers on medium-high grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Top with blue cheese for the last minute then transfer to a plate to rest for a few minutes. While burgers rest, grill inside of burger buns.
Make the Burger Sauce. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish and sriracha until well combined.
Assemble the Burgers. Spread a tablespoon of spicy burger sauce on the bottom bun, then layer the burgers with the cherry tomatoes, blue cheese burger and top with caramelized onions and mushrooms.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Use 80/20 ground beef, meaning the ground beef is 80% beef and 20 % fat for the best flavor and juicier outcome. Anything leaner can result in a dry burger.
- Don't over mix when forming the burger patties. Use your hands to gently form the burgers, making sure not to squeeze or press on them too much.
- Clean the Mushrooms. Use a lightly damp sheet of paper towel to wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms.
- When grilling or cooking in a cast iron, don't press down on the burgers, which will release their juices. Once the burgers are cooking on the first side, let them form a crust then turn over.
- Grill the buns! Once the burgers are off, turn off the grill and heat the inside of the buns until lightly charred.
Recipe FAQs
Creamy blue cheese such as gorgonzola will melt well for burgers as well as cheddar cheese, provolone cheese and Swiss cheese.
Use 80/20 ground beef which has 20 % fat, which will keep the burgers from drying out. Another tip is to not overwork the burger when forming into patties. When cooking, do not press down on the burger, which will release their juices.
More Great Burgers and Burger Side Dishes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Burger with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Blue Cheese Burgers
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbled (I used gorgonzola)
- 4 brioche buns
Caramelized Mushrooms and Onions
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup button or cremini mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup red wine
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Spicy Burger Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoons horseradish
Instructions
- Form the burgers. Form the burgers into 4 burger patties, lightly working the meat together. Make a small indent with your thumb in the middle of the burger. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- Roast the Cherry Tomatoes. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cherry tomatoes and garlic coves in an oven safe dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tomatoes and garlic soften. The remove and set aside.
- Saute the Onions. In a large skillet, drizzle with olive oil and add the butter and place over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced red onions and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the Mushrooms. Next add the sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften. Pour the red wine in and let the wine reduce for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and mushrooms together and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill the Burgers. Cook the burgers on medium-high grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Top with blue cheese for the last minute then transfer to a plate to rest for a few minutes. While burgers rest, grill inside of burger buns.
- Make the Burger Sauce. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish and sriracha until well combined.
- Assemble the Burgers. Spread a tablespoon of spicy burger sauce on the bottom bun, then layer the burgers with the cherry tomatoes, blue cheese burger and top with caramelized onions and mushrooms.
Notes
- Use 80/20 ground beef, meaning the ground beef is 80% beef and 20 % fat for the best flavor and juicier outcome. Anything leaner can result in a dry burger.
- Don't over mix when forming the burger patties. Use your hands to gently form the burgers, making sure not to squeeze or press on them too much.
- Clean the Mushrooms. Use a lightly damp sheet of paper towel to wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms.
- When grilling or cooking in a cast iron, don't press down on the burgers, which will release their juices. Once the burgers are cooking on the first side, let them form a crust then turn over.
- Grill the buns! Once the burgers are off, turn off the grill and heat the inside of the buns until lightly charred.
MrnMrsindkitchen says
We needed a Burger night and this is the one we wanted. Mushroom, onion and the Sriracha is the key, Ohh and the grill, make sure its hot and clean and make sure it has some last minute oil so things don't stick.
Tom says
WOW, I make a great burger anyway. It's usually the Hit of the party. I added the Sautéed tomatoes this time and even my neighbor who hates everything LOVED IT. We had a Pick your own cheese tray to put on whatever you wanted. Havarti, Spicy cheese, American, Swiss, the Blue cheese seemed to be thw favorite pick.
Miriam @ OvertimeCook says
Classy is right! This burger looks so amazing!
Samantha says
Thank you Miriam!
Erin says
That is one classy burger. I normally like a cold beer with my burgers, but this definitely calls for a glass of wine!
Samantha says
Thanks so much Erin!!! I am always down for a beer!
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness says
Giveaway! Yea! Your burger looks amazing! I love those sauteed cherry tomatoes.
I made a burger with a Japanese twist. It is called Hambāgu burger! Red wine sauce, beef patty, sweet buns, mixed greens and provolone cheese.
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
This looks so good! I love a good spicy burger.
allie@sweetpotatobites says
These are like all my favorite toppings for a burger! Love it.
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Looks classy to me! Great burger for share this month.