Onion-Smothered Italian Burgers

There are thousands of different ways to make a burger stand out, if you know what I mean. I love a plain hamburger, but sometimes I just want it to have a little bit of "umph." This burger is definitely packed with flavor, and the onions are absolutely amazing. I'll probably use this recipe for onions in the future. These were also just as good (if not better) re-heated the next night.

Onion-Smothered Italian Burgers
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
Cooking spray
4 (1 1/2 ounce) hamburger buns

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, sugar, salt, and pepper to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar to the pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Combine cheese and next 5 ingredients (through beef) in a medium bowl; shape meat mixture into 4 (3-inch) patties. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each patty with 1/4 cup onion mixture and top half of each bun.
Yields 4 burgers (4 servings)

Nutritional info (per serving): 330 calories; 8.9g fat; 4mg iron; 65mg cholesterol; 142mg calcium; 33.7g carbs; 541mg sodium; 28.9g protein; 2.9g fiber

Source: Cooking Light, August 2008