Nine ingredients and forty minutes, on a skillet or a grill.
Each burger is two thin patties sealed around a piece of mozzarella, with a second piece melted over the top — so there is cheese inside you can't see and cheese on top you can.
Why This Recipe Works
- Two thin patties seal around the cheese more reliably than one thick one.
- Sealing the edges completely stops the mozzarella leaking out as it melts.
- Low-moisture mozzarella melts without making the burger watery.
- A second slice melted on top gives the visible blanket of cheese.
- Warm marinara on the bun ties the pizza flavours together.
Ingredient Notes
- 80/20 ground beef
- A pound and a half, divided into eight thin patties that pair up around the cheese.
- Low-moisture mozzarella
- Eight ounces, divided — an ounce sealed inside each burger and an ounce melted on top.
- Marinara, cherry tomatoes and basil
- A cup warmed, a cup halved and a third of a cup sliced. These make it a pizza burger; the green ribbons are basil.
How to Make It
Eight thin patties, mozzarella sealed between pairs
Divide beef into eight thin patties. Place 1 oz mozzarella in the center of four patties, top with the remaining patties, and seal the edges completely.
Outsides seasoned with salt and pepper
Season the outsides with salt and pepper.
Cooked to 160°F in the meat, more mozzarella melted on top
Cook burgers on a skillet or grill until the beef surrounding the cheese pocket reaches 160°F. Add another 1 oz mozzarella over each patty during the last minute so the top also carries the visible melted cheese blanket.
Buns toasted, marinara, patty, tomatoes and basil stacked
Toast buns. Spoon marinara on each bottom bun, add the stuffed patty, then blistered cherry tomatoes and basil ribbons.
Closed and served
Close with the top buns and serve.
Cheese You Can See and Cheese You Can't
You can see mozzarella melted over each burger, but the stuffed centre stays hidden until you cut in. The burgers are GENUINELY MOZZARELLA-STUFFED, and ADDITIONAL MOZZARELLA IS MELTED ON TOP. Read one burger from the bottom up.
BLISTERED CHERRY TOMATOES and BASIL
A share of the 1 cup of HALVED CHERRY TOMATOES, blistered in 1 tbsp olive oil, and the 1/3 cup of THINLY SLICED BASIL. The green ribbons are BASIL, NOT ARUGULA. Then the top bun. The cheese inside is EXTREMELY HOT WHEN FIRST OPENED.
The MOZZARELLA BLANKET - the last minute
Another 1 oz of MOZZARELLA OVER EACH PATTY DURING THE LAST MINUTE, SO THE TOP ALSO CARRIES THE VISIBLE MELTED CHEESE BLANKET. This is the cheese the photograph shows.
The PATTY - two thin halves around the cheese
Two of the 8 THIN PATTIES from 1 1/2 lb of 80/20 GROUND BEEF, with 1 oz of LOW-MOISTURE MOZZARELLA placed in the centre of one and the other laid over, THE EDGES SEALED COMPLETELY. Seasoned outside with SALT and PEPPER and cooked on a skillet or grill UNTIL THE BEEF SURROUNDING THE CHEESE POCKET REACHES 160°F. For safety, be precise: measure THE MEAT, NOT THE MOLTEN CHEESE CENTER.
The bottom bun - MARINARA first
A toasted BRIOCHE BUN with a spoonful of the 1 cup of WARMED MARINARA SAUCE. Marinara is one of the two components that make a pizza burger, and it goes under the patty so it sets against the bun.
Success Tips
- Pinch the edges of each pair firmly so no gaps remain.
- Put the thermometer into the meat beside the cheese, not into the cheese pocket.
- Warn anyone eating that the centre is molten when first opened.
Serving Ideas
Four burgers on toasted brioche, each a mozzarella-stuffed beef patty under a blanket of melted mozzarella, with marinara, blistered cherry tomatoes and basil ribbons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are they really stuffed?
Yes. An ounce of mozzarella is sealed between two thin patties, and another ounce is melted on top during the last minute of cooking.
Where do I check the temperature?
In the beef around the cheese pocket — it should reach 160°F. The melted cheese reads differently from the meat and would mislead you.
Is the cheese inside hot?
Extremely, when you first cut or bite in. Let the burgers sit a moment before serving.
