Pan Grilled Sausage and Pepper Burgers

If you feel like a burger that's a little out of the ordinary, give this recipe a try. Made with Italian sausage and topped with roasted peppers, onions, tomato slices and melted mozzarella cheese, these burgers are a nice change from the classic beef variety. In an effort to keep the calories down a bit, we used chicken sausage and thin deli rolls. There's certainly no reason you can't use pork sausage and regular rolls, though, with equally yummy results.

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Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage, hot or mild (pork, chicken or turkey sausage)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 round rolls (we used thin deli rolls)
For the toppings:
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced
1 large, ripe tomato, cut into 4 thick slices
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the bell pepper, onion and tomato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Brush with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 8 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the toppings roast, whisk the garlic, balsamic vinegar, and mayonnaise together in a small bowl. Remove the sausage from the casings, place it in a large bowl and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and vinegar-mayo mix. Using your hands, combine thoroughly. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into burger patties about 5/8-inch thick.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Toast the buns lightly, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the sausage burgers to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the center. While still in the pan, top each burger with a slice of tomato and a portion of the roasted peppers and onions. Add a slice of mozzarella cheese, and briefly cover the pan until the cheese melts. Place on the buns and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe Notes:
You can make this entire recipe on an outdoor grill with no problem. Just roast the onions, peppers and tomatoes on a sheet of heavy duty foil sprayed with nonstick spray instead of using the oven. We do recommend grilling the burgers at medium to medium-high temperature to avoid drying them out, particularly if you plan to use either chicken or turkey sausage as we did.

This is an original recipe created & tested by the editors of MyGourmetConnection