Cooking Lean with Rachel Ray: Pimiento Cheese Burgers

As promised, the "Cookin' Lean Kitchen" is growing. We are going to be trying out new and exciting dishes from some of Paula Deen's Food Network friends such as the smart and savvy Rachael Ray.
This recipe for Pimiento Cheeseburgers is so delicious and allowed me to earn a little grilling respect around my house. The men (my husband and brother) were quite impressed with not only the delicious cheese sauce, but the flavor of the burger itself. What I do love about Rachael is how she offers up lighter suggestions while she is making her dishes. Well, I took some of those suggestions and then added to them; creating a lean burger sure to please.


PIMIENTO CHEESEBURGERS
Serves 4 (Makes 4 burgers)

INGREDIENTS:


Burgers:


2 lb lean ground beef (93/7) or Jeannie-O Lean Ground Turkey
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sweet paprika, a couple of palmfuls
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Sauce:


1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
1/4 cup minced white onion
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup 1% or FAT FREE (Skim) milk
1 cup loosely packed shredded yellow 2%   cheddar cheese
1 cup loosely packed shredded FAT FREE cheddar cheese
1 4-ounce jar of pimientos, drained well, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball the amount
Few dashes hot sauce, to your taste


4 whole grain white 100-Calorie "Pepperidge Farm" deli flats




DIRECTIONS:


Combine meat with salt, pepper, paprika and parsley. Form 4 large patties, making them thinner at middle for even cooking and to counteract the bulging of the meat as it cooks. Drizzle burgers with EVOO to coat.
Heat a large, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers 8 minutes turning once for medium-rare and up to 12 minutes for medium-well.


In a medium saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, melt ICBINB, then add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and stir to combine. Add milk and heat through for a minute, then melt the cheese into milk – the sauce will be very thick, barely spoonable. Add pimientos, Worcestershire, hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.


Serve burgers on deli flats with pimiento cheese sauce on top and a pickle and baked chips or salad alongside.


RESULTS:


HELLO! These things were awesome! Something else that was great about them is that they can be done without a grill. You can use an indoor grill (perhaps George Foreman?) or grill pan. Personally, the gas grill outside scares me. I have seen my Dad burn off his eyebrows one too many times. But, the grill pan makes it possible to cook the burgers without the fear of hair loss. Bonus!


Leaning up this recipe was easy! Using lean meat and light cheese was a big step. Plus, the deli flats can cut as much as 150 calories. They only pack 100 calories each, instead of using a larger bun with anywhere between 200-300 calories. I'd rather save with bread and have a little dessert later!


I hope you enjoyed this twist on Rachel Ray's Pimiento Cheeseburgers. To see her original recipe and more, check out her website here.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 469.75 calories;  12.02g fat;  31.14g carbohydrate;  64.02g protein;  5.93g fiber