Grilled Cheese Bun Burgers

Week 334. Summer 2022. I am 39 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

Brett came Wednesday. We sat on the porch and talked about nothing, and the nothing was perfect, the way nothing between siblings is always perfect — full of history, empty of agenda, the purest form of company.

Mason is 11 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.

Lily is 9 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made fish tacos this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The fish tacos were Tuesday, but by the weekend, with the grill already hot and the herbs still going strong in the garden, I wanted something the kids would crowd around the table for. These Grilled Cheese Bun Burgers were exactly that — golden, cheesy, simple, the kind of meal that makes an ordinary summer evening feel like enough. Brett was still in town, Mason and Lily were sunburned and starving, and this was the thing I made with my hands for the people I love.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (80/20)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices American cheese
4 slices cheddar cheese
8 slices sturdy white bread (such as Texas toast)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
Optional toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard

Instructions

Form the patties. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix gently and divide into 4 equal patties, pressing them slightly thinner than the bread slices so they shrink to fit as they cook.
Preheat the grill. Heat your grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F. Clean and oil the grates.
Grill the burgers. Place patties on the grill and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. During the last minute, top each patty with one slice of American cheese and one slice of cheddar. Close the lid to melt.
Butter the bread. While the burgers cook, spread softened butter on one side of each bread slice.
Grill the bread. Place the bread slices buttered-side down on the grill and toast for 1–2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Watch closely so they don’t burn.
Assemble. Place each cheesy burger patty between two slices of grilled bread, toasted side facing in. Add your preferred toppings and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Cheese Bun Burgers — The Food That Connects Every Version of Me