TL/DR: Blue Cheese Burger Lettuce Wraps. Simple burgers with a delicious homemade blue cheese dressing from Smitten Kitchen wrapped in butter or Boston lettuce. Delicious calories without the carb of a bun. Yes! –
Sometimes I like to combine two or three things that I love, like a plain, juicy hamburger and Blue Cheese Dressing. This blue cheese dressing recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, which she serves on a wedge salad, but the dressing is versatile and SO tasty. I’ve made it to serve with chicken wings, green salad, crudités, steamed green beans, and lamb meatballs. This recipe involves a simple burger, Deb’s bomb blue cheese dressing, and butter lettuce.
I like to buy the living lettuce so that I can use the remainder of it later in the week for lunches. (Tuna salad cups, to be more precise.) I prefer lettuce wraps to buns, simply because I’d rather spend my calories and my fullness on the best tasting calories.
I use 80% lean ground beef when I do burgers, starting them on high heat on the middle burners and then killing the middle burners but keeping the side burners on high. Indirect heat prevents the extra fat from flaring up and burning the burger patties. I’m a believer that more fat imparts more flavor. Use leaner ground beef if that’s your jam.
For more burger lettuce wraps, which seem to be a thing I do a lot, try Lentil Hamburger Sliders.
Blue Cheese Burger Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 80% lean ground beef
- 3/4 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t ground black pepper
- 1/2 c well shaken buttermilk
- 1/2 c mayonnaise
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1/4 t Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/8 t pepper
- 2 oz crumbled blue cheese
- 2 T fresh chives, finely minced
- 1 head butter lettuce
Directions
- Step 1 For the burger:
- Step 2 Heat the grill to 350 degrees F.
- Step 3 Form 4 burger patties and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper on both sides. If time allows, let them sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before grilling.
- Step 4 Place patties in the middle of the grill over the flame for 2 minutes, then turn off the middle burners and keep the outer burners on high.
- Step 5 Grill, covered, an additional 3 minutes on the first side, then turn and grill for about 5 minutes on the other side until your desired doneness is achieved.
- Step 6 For the dressing:
- Step 7 Combine buttermilk through chives and whisk together. Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to 2 days.
- Step 8 To serve:
- Step 9 Place 3-4 clean leaves of lettuce on a plate with one patty. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side.
