These easy broiled open faced French Bread Hamburgers are a quick and delicious meal perfect for busy weeknights.
In my family, these are known as "Gram's" French Bread Hamburgers. My great-grandmother probably threw these together for her daughters 80 or 90 years ago, and they loved them and made them for their kids, who in turn made them for their kids and now we make them for our kids.
Of course when my parents made them it was with "ground meat" that was probably 20% or more fat. The patties would shrink as the fat melted and soaked into the bread so you always had to be sure you made them go over the edge of the bread slices just a bit so the bread didn't burn.
So good... and unhealthy.
Now, I use 7-10% fat meat and add plenty of seasonings to make up for the lower fat content.
How to serve Open Faced Hamburgers
Serve these open faced burgers with your favorite hamburger toppings:
- lettuce
- sliced tomatoes
- onions, raw or grilled
- pickles
- bacon
- chili peppers
- mushrooms
- avocado or guacamole
- condiments: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce
- cheese (place on top and broil another minute to melt it)
As for side dishes, serve it with your favorite burger sides: French fries, onion rings, baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, green salad, etc.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup bread crumbs or wheat germ
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ loaf French bread (sliced diagonally about ¾ inch thick )
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except bread slices.
- Spread mixture in equal amounts on bread slices all the way to the edges. Place on a broiler pan.
- Broil 4-5 inches from the heating element for 3-5 minutes until meat is browned.
Marilyn
Thank you for hosting! This is what I featured the week of 8-3 to 8-7 on my blog. On Tuesday was Banana Cream Pie with Hazelnut Crust. Wednesday was Apple Crumb Pie. Thursday was Maple Pecan Pie. And winding up this week was my No Bake Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust. Enjoy!
Beth
What do you do with the bread crumbs or wheat germ? The recipe says to mix all except that, but then doesn't mention it again.
Have you ever made a non-open-face sandwich with this? Broil til browned on top piece of bread, then remove from oven and flip meat only onto bottom piece of bread. Push uncooked meat around to level the layers as it always cooks unevenly (but I use straight burger, not mixture your recipe uses, so you may not have to do it), then broil bottom piece til done. Top with cheese then top piece of bread, wrap in foil to stem awhile. Perfect for making and then transporting to a picnic. And I have only done it on a horizontally split loaf of Italian bread, which was sliced for serving after steaming at least 30-45 mins. Haven't made it in a long time, and am trying to find similar recipes to refresh myself on some details like seasoning the meat.
I'll have to try it with teriyaki sauce! Mmmmm.
Audrey
OOOPS! That was supposed to say "except bread slices". Thanks for letting me know, I have updated the recipe.
Your variations sound tasty. Thank you for sharing.