Bacon Cheeseburger with Baked Parmesan Onion Rings – now this is a proper burger!
I still haven’t bought a fryer. Chris keeps nagging, but I’d probably post ten chip recipes in a month if I did – and that would be dangerous for my waistline.
Instead of deep frying the onion rings, I bake them. Panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, a pinch of seasoning and a drizzle of oil give crisp, golden rings from the oven that lift this bacon cheeseburger into something special. If you love that baked Parmesan flavour, these go brilliantly with baked Parmesan carrot fries as a side.
Don’t forget the “special sauce” – I mix whatever condiments are in my fridge door and it always works 🙂
I made these burgers with homemade brioche buns for Chris and his brother while they were working on the conservatory. His brother is gluten intolerant, so I swapped in gluten-free rolls and grated an extra gluten-free roll for the panko substitute. It worked perfectly.
Two happy builders — especially after a dark & stormy or two once the job was done.
More Burger Ideas
If you’re still hungry for burger inspiration, try one of these variations:
- Cheese Stuffed Burger
- Cheesy Veggie Burgers
- Crispy Chicken Burger
- Belly Pork Burger
- Fish Burger
- Thai Style Fish Burger
These all pair well with pizza fries, veggie matchstick fries or baked carrot fries.
The Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe
Bacon Cheeseburger with Baked Parmesan Onion Rings
Ingredients
Onion Rings:
- 1 large onion
- 4 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 75 g (1½ cups) panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp fajita seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Burgers:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 450 g (1 lb) minced (ground) beef (ideally 20% fat)
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 rashers streaky bacon
- 4 brioche buns, toasted
- Large handful curly lettuce
- 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
Special sauce:
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ tsp yellow mustard
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sweet BBQ sauce
- ½ tsp sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F (fan) and prepare a large baking tray.
- Peel the onion and slice into thick rounds, separating into individual rings.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, garlic salt and black pepper.
- Whisk the egg lightly in a separate bowl.
- In a third bowl, combine the Parmesan, panko and fajita seasoning. Drizzle in the olive oil and mix until the breadcrumbs are lightly coated.
- Dip each onion ring in the flour mixture, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the baking tray and, if needed, press a few extra breadcrumbs on to ensure good coverage. I tend to use the larger rings and save the smaller ones for another use.
- Bake the rings for 12–15 minutes until golden and crunchy, then remove from the oven.
- Heat a griddle or large frying pan until very hot and brush with the vegetable oil.
- Combine the minced beef, pepper and salt, then form into four patties. Cook on the griddle, turning once, until browned and cooked through (about 5–6 minutes). For melted cheese, add the slices as soon as you flip the burgers. Rest the patties for 2–3 minutes off the heat.
- While the burgers rest, cook the bacon rashers on the griddle for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until crisp.
- Mix the special sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- To assemble: place lettuce on the bottom buns, add the burger, top with sliced tomato, 2–3 onion rings and two rashers of bacon, then finish with the top bun. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutritional information is per burger and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition (per burger, approximate)
Calories: 1105 kcal | Carbohydrates: 66 g | Protein: 41 g | Fat: 74 g | Saturated Fat: 31 g | Cholesterol: 298 mg | Sodium: 1542 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 6 g
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