Italian Burgers

Italian Burgers

3/4 pound ground chuck

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
few grinds of black pepper
1/4 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought..and warmed slightly)
2 ounces mozzarella cheese
2 hamburger buns, lightly buttered and toasted

In a medium bowl, place the meat and the ingredients up to the ground pepper. Using two forks, carefully combine the ingredients without mashing them too much. Carefully form the mixture into two large burgers, pressing the centers of the burgers to make them thinner than the outside edges. (This will allow the burgers to cook evenly and be flat instead of fat and rounded after cooking).
Cook the burgers in a skillet over medium heat, about 4 minutes per side. Place one ounce of cheese on top of each burger, cover the pan for about a minute to melt the cheese.
Place the cooked burgers on the buns, and top each burger with the desired amount of marinara sauce

These burgers may also be grilled (saves a LOT of grease spatter clean up!)