Juicy and delicious beef patties topped with queso and caramelized onions take the prize! Make this diabetes friendly burger with a special comeback sauce in about 30 minutes.
A delicious and easy comfort food the whole family will love! Patty melt with sweet onions and cheesy topping is perfect for your week night meal. I love this recipe served over the caramelized onions or you could use a low carb bread.
If you are looking for more beef recipes, check out my Low Carb Beef Stroganoff Bowl, Beef and Veggie Chili Made Diabetes Friendly, Low Carb Roast Beef Roll Up and Skillet Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls.
The finishing touch is the "Mississippi comeback sauce" which is a variation of the special sauce used on burgers and sandwiches. I used a thin slice bread for this recipe- if you are unable to find this, use a lettuce leaf to keep carb counts low. SO LET'S GET STARTED!
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What is a patty melt?
A traditional patty melt uses rye bread, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese. So basically, everything you love about a grilled cheese combined with everything you love about a burger! This one is a low carb version as we are using either thin sliced toast, lettuce wrap or simply served on a bed of caramelized onions.
Why this recipe works
- Our "comeback sauce" kicks this sandwich up a notch!
- Queso cheese adds another layer of creamy goodness.
- Serve with thin sliced bread if desired for an authentic patty melt experience. (Each slice adds about 7gm carb)
- Ready in about 30 minutes!
This recipe really satisfies a burger craving! It is very easy to make- here's a list of even easier meals you can try- 19 diabetes low carb meals you can (almost) make without a recipe. Another great low carb entree is our Low Carb Steak Taco Bowl and Low Carb Sausage Stuffed Poblanos!
Ingredients
- Onions- sweet or yellow onions will work fine.
- Ground Beef- I used guess fed beef. Ground chuck will create a juicer burger than ground round (leaner).
- Cheese- I love the smoothness of queso cheese.
- Thin sliced bread- I used thin sliced bread as a base for this low carb burger.
Instructions
Step 1- Prepare comeback sauce and set aside.
Step 2-Slice onions and place in skillet. Cook onions until caramelized- about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 3, 4- Cook beef patties then add onions and queso. Serve over toast if desired.
Hint: Use an iron skillet if available to add browning and extra flavor.
Substitutions
- Low Fat Diet-Make this recipe lower fat by using ground round and low fat cheese.
- Low Sodium Diet- Use lower sodium cheese.
- Gluten Free- Use a gluten free thin bread or use lettuce leaf as a base.
Variations
- Kid Friendly- add American cheese and hamburger buns, go easy on the onions.
- Spicy- add your favorite hot sauce to the raw burger mix when prepping the patties.
- Deluxe- Offer a condiment plate of sliced avocado, roasted peppers, roasted mushrooms and pickles
Expert Tips
- Want to make this recipe ahead? Prepare sauce, cover and store in refrigerator. Saute onions then cover and store in refrigerator. Prepare patties and store in refrigerator. When ready, cook patties then complete steps 4 and 5.
- Cook the onions until fully caramelized- this is a key part of the recipe! Want mushrooms too? Try my Balsamic Roasted Onions and Mushrooms recipe!
- Queso is awesome in this recipe but feel free to use the cheese you prefer.
- Make this recipe even fewer carbs and use a lettuce leaf instead of very thin bread.
If you like low carb eats, try out my Low Carb Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Bowl or my 15gm Carb Stuffed Potato for more delicious recipes!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave your star rating and comment below!
Recipe
Low Carb Burgers
Ingredients
Comeback Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup
- ½ Tbsp. dill pickle relish
- dash Worcestershire sauce
Patties
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion,sliced
- 1 lb. ground beef, grass fed if available
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp. queso melting cheese
- 8 slices thin-sliced bread optional
Instructions
- To prepare Comeback Sauce:Mix all ingredients well. Use this as a sandwich spread with patty melts.
- To prepare patties:Heat oil or butter in a large skillet then add sliced onion. Cook and stir until soft and golden brown-about 15 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
- Add worcestershire sauce to ground beef and form into 4 thin patties. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Place patties in skillet and cook over medium heat turning as needed until fully cooked.
- Place onions on top of cooked patties, heat queso then pour melted queso over all.
- Toast bread slices. Spread 2 slices toast with comeback sauce then add a patty with onions and cheese to form sandwich.
Notes
- Cook the onions until fully caramelized- this is a key part of the recipe!
- Queso is awesome in this recipe but feel free to use the cheese you prefer.
- Make this recipe even fewer carbs and use a lettuce leaf instead of very thin bread.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Jessica W. says
YUM! Very tasty. Reminds me of a Big Mac. It's super quick for a weeknight meal, too. I'll definitely make this again.
Donna says
Isn’t 29 grams of fat a lot? I’m recently diagnosed with on set diabetes and am not on medication yet. Watching what I eat and losing weight to see if I can control it.
Charlotte says
You may prefer to omit the sauce and use extra lean ground beef. That will help lower the fat.
Melissa says
What is queso melting cheese? I see this in a lot oh your recipes but am I unsure what I am to buy, there are so many options. Is this a sauce form?
Charlotte says
This is the cheese that you can melt to make white cheese dip. Here is a link to an example: https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1?q=queso+melting+cheese&client=safari&sca_esv=566330112&hl=en-us&biw=390&bih=657&tbs=vw:l&prmd=isvn&prds=of:1,eto:70011947558850215_0,local:1,prmr:2,pid:70011947558850215,cs:1