Lighter Animal-Style Burgers
Recreate the In-N-Out experience at home with these Lighter Animal-Style Burgers. Incredible burgers lightened up just enough!
Servings: 4
Calories: 295kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound 94/6 ground beef
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 slices light American cheese (I use Velveeta Singles)
- 1/2 cup Skinny Special Sauce (make at least 2 hours ahead of time)
- toppings: iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, dill pickles (no sugar added)
- hamburger buns of choice
Instructions
CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS
- Spritz a medium skillet with cooking spray. Add onions to the skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until starting to brown. Season with about 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
- Add in 3 tablespoons of water and continue to cook until the water completely absorbs into the onions. Add another 3 tablespoons and repeat the process until the onions are brown and soft, about 2 more times (about 10 minutes total).
COOK THE BURGERS WHILE THE ONIONS CARAMELIZE
- Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball and press down on a plate to form a patty. Continue pressing out until as thin as possible while still maintaining a burger shape (see pics in blog post).
- Season one side with salt and pepper (a little less than 1/4 a tsp of kosher salt per patty; pepper to taste).
- Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. Spritz seasoned side of burgers with cooking spray and place them in the skillet, seasoned side down, so that the burgers aren't touching. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes before flipping.
- While the first side of the burgers cook, spread mustard on the raw side of the burgers, about 1 1/2 teaspoons for each burger (see pics in blog post). Spritz mustard side with cooking spray.
- Flip burgers and top cooked side with cheese. Cook mustard side of the burgers for another 2-3 minutes, or until beef is done to your liking. Let rest for a few minutes.
ASSEMBLE BURGERS
- Slightly toast the buns. Add Skinny Special Sauce to both sides of the bun. I like to use 2 tablespoons total for each burger, but check that recipe for points breakdown if you want to add more/less.
- Top bottom bun with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Add burger on top of that. Spread caramelized onions on top of beef patty, then finish with sauced top bun. Enjoy!
Notes
Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Calculation includes Burger patty, hamburger bun, 1 Velveeta single, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato.
Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for each Tbsp of Skinny Special Sauce.
WW Green, Blue, and Purple SmartPoints:
Burger patty, no cheese: 2 SP | Burger patty, 1 slice of Velveeta Singles: 3 SP
2 tablespoons Skinny Special Sauce: 1 SP
Hamburger bun: 4 SP
All other toppings, including caramelized onions: 0 SP
Total points for a Lighter Animal-Style Burger with cheese, spread, caramelized onions, toppings, and regular hamburger bun: 8 SP
Nutrition includes cheese and bun
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g