The Italian Sub Burger

I just got home this week from a fabulous vacation in Mexico. 

14 people, 7 days, tons of belly laughs and more tequila than you can imagine. It was perfection! 

As usual, the time flew by way quicker than I was ready for and before I knew it I was home, unpacked and in the kitchen. First on the to do list: burgers.

Pepperidge Farm is hosting a contest perfect for Summer and I am excited to share all of my entries here with you! Their #RespectTheBunPromotion is calling for the best Burger and Hot Dog recipes that feature their delicious buns and I'm having so much fun coming up with entries for this one.

My first entry is  The Italian Sub Burger. I topped a perfectly grilled burger with all of the goodies you'd find on an Italian Sub; peppered salami, ham, melty provolone cheese, a sweet and spicy cherry pepper spread and tons of fresh crunchy veggies. As delicious as all of that is, I didn't forget the bun. I brushed it with Italian Vinaigrette and toasted it. Kinda like an Italian crouton. Sooooo good!

 The Italian Sub Burger

1/3 cup jarred pickled sweet and spicy cherry peppers

1 pound ground chuck

½ pound ground sirloin

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 slices provolone cheese

4 Pepperidge Farm Onion Buns

3 Tablespoons Italian vinaigrette dressing

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

4 slices deli ham

12 slices peppered salami

4 large slices tomato 

4 thin red onion slices

 Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat and set the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small food processor or blender, puree the pickled sweet and spicy cherry peppers until smooth.

To make the Burger Patties, add the chuck, sirloin, garlic and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 4 even patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook about 3-4 minutes. Flip the burgers over and top with cheese. Cover and cook another 3-4 minutes longer, or until medium rare. 

Lay the opened buns on a large cookie sheet. Brush each bun top and bottom with an even thin layer of the Italian vinaigrette dressing. Place in the oven and allow to toast for 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Once buns are toasted, spread each of the top halves with 1 Tablespoon of the cherry pepper spread.

To assemble the burgers, place shredded lettuce and then a burger patty on top of each bun bottom. Top with ham, salami, tomato and red onion. Place the top half of the toasted buns on each and serve immediately with lots of napkins!