Stuffed Burger Balls (3 Ways)

It is sometimes said that bacon is the greatest thing about paleo.

Now bacon is good, but I would argue it is not the best thing about paleo. Scotch eggs are.

Scotch eggs, which first came to my attention as one of countless genius recipes from Melissa of The Clothes Make the Girl, are hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and baked.

They are delicious, portable and fun.  It just always seems a little crazy to cut open your  sausage ball and find a whole egg.  At least to me.

They are also genius because they allow you to eat two types of protein in a neat, little portable snack. If you haven’t already tried them, click HERE to get the recipe and try them now.

Anyhow — given my affection for scotch eggs, I started to wonder, “What else might be fun and tasty to hide inside balls of meat?”  The answer: So many things!

While none of the recipes below are better than the original scotch eggs, here are three options that I liked. Since I am still recovering from an overdose of sausage last week, I decided to use ground beef or buffalo, instead of sausage, as the outside meat.

The basic process for making each version was the same. Prepare the filling. Season the meat. Create flat patties.  Center the filling in the middle of the patty then gently pull the edges up around the filling and seal closed. Roll the ball around to tidy it up. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Each recipe makes four burger balls.

I encourage you to get creative and just imagine what else might be good!  Then please share your best ideas or successes with the rest of us in comments.

These are a simple treat.  Just place the burger ball on top of lettuce and tomato, add some paleo ketchup  and enjoy your inside out burger.

Thyme, 1 teaspoon

Oregano, 1 teaspoon

Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each

Mini onions, 4

Coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon

Ground beef or buffalo, 1 pound

  1. In a small bowl, combine thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  2. Peel onions and brush with coconut oil. Sprinkle onions with about ½ teaspoon of spice blend.
  3. Add remainder of spice blend and meat to large bowl. Mix in spices (I used my hands.)
  4. Divide meat into 4 equal sections. Form each section into a burger. Place one spiced onion in the middle of the first patty then bring up edges and form into a ball.  Repeat this process until you have four burger balls.
  5. Place in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

I liked this version because it has a sweet and flavorful dose of veggies on the inside.  I took these as airplane snacks when we flew to Boise last week.  They tasted better hot but got the job done (i.e. nourished me) while cold as well.

Dried apricots, 10

Water, 1 cup

Cumin, 1 teaspoon

Coriander, 1 teaspoon

Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon

Red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon or less

Salt and pepper, to taste

Onion, ½ cup diced

Coconut oil, 1 tablespoon

Cauliflower, 1 cup diced well

Garlic, 1 clove, diced

Ground beef or buffalo, 1 pound

  1. Dice apricots and place in bowl with a cup of warm water for  15-20 minutes
  2. While apricots are soaking, combine spices (cumin, coriander, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.) Set aside.
  3. Sauté onion in coconut oil over medium heat until soft, about 5-6 minutes.
  4. Add cauliflower, garlic, and one tablespoon of spice mix.  Then add apricots, including the water they were soaking in.
  5. Let cook, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes.  The water should boil away so be sure to stir regularly in the last few minutes.
  6. Add remainder of spice blend and meat to large bowl. Mix in spices.
  7. Divide meat into 4 equal sections. Form each section into a burger. Place one quarter of the cauliflower mixture in the middle the first patty then bring up edges and form into a ball. Repeat until you have four burger balls.
  8. Place in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sausage and Tomato Sauce Stuffed Burger Balls

This is probably the easiest version and perhaps the tastiest too.  It follows the closest to the “protein inside protein” concept of the inspirational scotch eggs.

Sausage, 3 oz., cooked

Tomato sauce, ¼ cup (I used store bought sauce with no added sugar or odd ingredients.  If you have homemade sauce, you rock.  Use that.)

Basil, 1 teaspoon

Oregano, 1 teaspoon

Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon

Crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon

Salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each

Ground beef or buffalo, 1 pound

  1. If your cooked sausage is not already crumbled, crumble or dice it into small pieces.
  2. Add sausage to tomato sauce and set aside.
  3. Add all spices (basil, oregano, garlic, red pepper,  salt and pepper) and meat to large bowl. Mix in spices.
  4. Divide meat into 4 equal sections. Form each section into a burger. Place one quarter of the sauce/sausage mixture in the middle the first patty then bring up edges and form into a ball. Repeat until you have four burger balls.
  5. Place in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.