Mushroom Pizza Burgers

A unique burger with a lot of flavor. The sauce over the burger tastes similar to homemade spaghetti sauce and gives the meal an Italian flare. The hamburger patty also carries a lot of flavor and is one of the most flavorful hamburgers we have made. The kids didn't want to put the sauce on and they ate it fine without. The sauce does make the bun a little soggy and should only be put on right before you are ready to eat it.

Cost: About $10.50 ($1.30 per serving) - mushrooms ($1.96), crushed tomatoes ($0.67), 85/15 ground beef - 1.5 pounds ($4.94), mozzarella cheese ($1.67), hamburger buns ($1.19).

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes, undrained

Burgers

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 5 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 8 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 8 hamburger buns, split and toasted

1. In a small skillet coated with cooking spray, saute mushrooms and onion for 3 minutes. Add garlic and oregano; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, basil, egg white, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture; mix well. Shape into eight patties.
3. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill patties, covered, over medium-hot heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat juices run clear. Top patties with cheese and the tomato sauce. Serve over buns.

Nutrition: (1 burger) 382 calories, 18.0 g fat, 8.2 g saturated fat, 67.8 mg cholesterol, 704.3 mg sodium, 30.0 g carbohydrate, 0.6 g fiber, 4.6 g sugars, 27.9 g protein.