Italian Meatball Burgers

These saucy, family-friendly burgers might be best eaten with a knife and fork. If you'd like to go bunless, serve over spaghetti with extra sauce. We enjoyed these with a side of macaroni salad.

Yield:

6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Ingredients

1. 8 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage
2. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
3. 1 teaspoon dried basil
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
6. 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
7. 1 pound ground sirloin
8. 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
9. 6 (2-ounce) Italian bread rolls, split
10. 3/4 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce

Directions

1. Prepare grill.
2. Remove casings from sausage. Combine sausage, oregano, basil, salt, fennel seeds, garlic powder, and ground sirloin. Divide beef mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.
3. Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties over; grill 2 minutes. Divide fresh mozzarella cheese evenly over patties, and grill an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.
4. Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce and top half of roll.

Notes