Dinner

Ultimate Patty Melt

A diner-classic patty melt with a seasoned beef patty, sweet caramelized onions, and double Swiss grilled golden on rye — about 37 grams of protein per sandwich by our math. The onions go low and slow in butter until they turn jammy and sweet, the patties are shaped to fit the bread so every bite is edge-to-edge, and mayonnaise on the outside of the rye grills up shatter-crisp while the cheese melts through. It eats like the lunch-counter original, because it basically is.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 slices rye bread or sourdough bread
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Russian dressing

Steps

1. Caramelize the onions: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook slowly, stirring now and then, until deep golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Form the patties: Shape the ground beef into 4 oval or rectangular patties that match the shape of your bread slices. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
3. Sear the patties: Cook the patties in the same skillet over medium-high heat until nicely browned and cooked through, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
4. Mayo the bread: Wipe the skillet clean. Spread mayonnaise or Russian dressing on one side of each bread slice — that is the side that will crisp in the pan.
5. Assemble: Set the skillet over medium-low. Place 4 slices of bread, mayo-side down, in the skillet. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese, a beef patty, a portion of the caramelized onions, a second slice of Swiss cheese, and the remaining bread slices, mayo-side up.
6. Grill: Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted, about 3–4 minutes per side, pressing down gently with a spatula. Rest a minute, slice diagonally, and serve.

Dad tip: low and slow on the onions — that is where all the sweetness comes from. Rushing them just browns the edges; fifteen patient minutes makes them jammy.

▶See the original recipe

Recipe adapted from High Protein Recipes Hub's Ultimate Patty Melt — original reel on Facebook. The nutrition figures are our estimates, not the creator's.