Bacon Inside Out Cheeseburger Sliders

I am seriously craving a good burger like these Cheesy Bacon Sliders for this week’s #FlashBackFriday.

Happy The Week is FINALLY 1/2 over day! I definitely think the consensus is that everyone loves their chocolate, wine and coffee, it has to be the expensive kind, but, sometimes, any chocolate with peanut butter will do.  Speaking of chocolate ~ Wow…You all just have to see the one I tried today…..it’s seriously YUM!

Pre-workout snack was a banana.  For today’s workout, I rocked the KETTLE BELLS doing THIS Kettle Bell Workout.  I added a Plank Hold for 1 minute & 30 seconds!

I couldn’t wait to dig into my Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Burrito……My co-worker said the Green Monster was going to Eat It when I walked away….ya, we probably should get out more (6 points+)

The BEST Raspberries this year!  I now get why The Husband told me he’d eat them all since they “weren’t” that good ~ HA!

I picked up this Dark Chocolatier Bar with Caramel & Black Sea Salt awhile back and have been meaning to try it.

Since the theme of this week seems to be CHOCOLATE everything (including my giveaway LOL!), I figured it was worth trying.  2 squares are 3 points+

The chocolate layer is super thin and DARK followed up with TONS of melt in your mouth salty caramel ~ It’s SO GOOD I could probably eat the ENTIRE bar….but, I shared.

Lunch ~ Spicy Egg Salad ~ LOVE! (7 points+)

Plus a bunch of melon…..I had veggies too, but, I was really holding out for our afternoon party!

We all got the chance to sample Annie’s NEWEST Grown Up Mac & Cheese Flavor ~ Spirals with Butter & Parmesan.

What better way to eat your mac than with a Mac & Cheese Mix-In Bar!

Peas, BACON!, Broccoli and caramelized onions.

My mini bowl with everything but the broccoli ~ cheesy, butter, salty, sweet…..it was so good I “almost” switch up our plans for dinner just so I could make this at home.  4 points+ estimate.

First I saw Inside Out Cheese Burgers in the Weight Watcher Magazine.

Then, I saw Roni make her Bacon Cheese Inside Out Turkey Burgers.

And, I decided, I couldn’t take it anymore….I can admit it…it was the bacon, cheese and burger that sold me.

I had planned on making Roni’s, but, have I ever told you all I am really bad at following directions?!

When I was browsing “buns” at the store….I saw my favorite King’s Hawaiian Rolls and I knew they had to be sliders!

3 points+ each but worth every single one! Sweet, soft, doughy….they melt in your mouth.

Did I also mention I really tried to make Roni’s and then I ended up just adding all kinds of stuff?  I remembered how much I LOVED Tracey’s Stove Top Muffins and all the veggies she included.  They made the muffins so moist and added such great flavor.

As I was finely chopping and shredding my veggies so The Husband wouldn’t notice, I started thinking of all the things I like on my burgers ~ real bacon (it adds more flavor than bits) and more importantly BBQ sauce. I just kept going and going tossing everything in the bowl to create my version as a Mini Burger….

After I had them all made…I realized I forgot the Worchestershire she used….see….bad.

SURPRISE BACON INSIDE OUT CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS

The “surprise” could be in the cheesy middle or the fact that I snuck in 1 1/2 cup veggies and you’d never know it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1.25 lbs 93% Lean Ground Turkey (it has the most flavor for burgers over 99%)
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely diced
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
• 4 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tsp Emeril’s Original Essence, optional
• Pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes & freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Mini BabyBel Light Cheese, cut into 3 slices each
• Sprinkle of garlic salt, optional
• 12 Hawaiian Rolls
• All of your favorite burger toppings ~ ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  In a large bowl, combine turkey through black pepper.  Divide into 4, then, divide each 1/4 mixture into 3 so you are left with 12 sections to make your sliders.

2.  Take 1/12th of the turkey mixture and 1 slice of the BabyBel and form the turkey around the cheese making a patty.  Repeat until all 12 patties are made.  Sprinkle the tops with garlic salt if using.

3.  Preheat grill to medium high heat.  Add burgers and cook for about 8 minutes per side until cooked through.

4.  Serve up your “slider bar” with your burgers, buns and all of your favorite toppings.

Makes 12 sliders, 6 Smartpoints or 5 points+ each

Nutritional Information per slider INCLUDING 1 Hawaiian Roll

STEP – BY – STEP

Cook your bacon making sure you cook TWO extra pieces because you know “somebody” will eat your crumbles otherwise

Slice your Babybel rounds into thirds….each circle = 3 slices.

Combine everything to make up your bacon burgers into one big bowl.

I realized after mixing everything that there was still room in my mixture to add mushrooms.  So I DID!  Cremini Mushrooms would be fantastic in this!

Divide into 4 sections.

Then divide each of those 4 sections into 3 sections each so you have 12 equal triangles (kind of like cutting a pie).

Take 1/12th of the turkey mix and wrap it around 1 slice of cheese.  I formed mine into a meatball then flattened it to make a burger.

Sprinkle with garlic salt for extra flavor if using.

TIP: If you know your burgers stick to your grill, spray them on both sides with nonstick spray before grilling them.

Prep “Slider Bar” with all your toppings while the burgers cook.

My absolute favorite new addiction lately ~ Mezzetta’s Italian Garden Vegetables.

0 points+ ~ crunchy, sweet, tart…now I just need spicy!

It’s totally ok if some of your cheesy goodness oozes out as the burgers cook….it just makes them look that much tastier!

Builder your slider starting with the greens and working your way up to the pickle.

I like putting the sauce on the “lid” because then it drips all the way down your burger when you dig in.

I LOVE the cheesy & gooey babybel middle, the hints of smoky bacon, the sweet, soft doughiness of the buns and the crunch of all the toppings.  The veggies really make these burgers moist, but, you’d never know they are in there.

I am beyond….they are that GOOD!  Once you try them, you will know exactly what I mean.

True to form…..it’s SLIDING!!!! You knew I had to say that, right?!  I think I was actually so excited to dig in I didn’t think about the fact that my burger wasn’t straight ~ oops!

Side #1

Side #2 Grilled Foil Packet Veggies = ZERO dishes to wash

Caramelized & ZERO Points+ (cooked with nonstick spray, garlic salt and black pepper).

I also made corn, but, I gave mine to The Husband to save my points+.

Q’s

Do you follow the directions on a recipe or do you cook to your own tune?

I get a lot of ideas from different recipes, but, I rarely stick to a recipe.  I actually have to “force” myself to NOT add stuff not on the list sometimes.

Night all!