This classic diner dish may be the most satisfying of all hamburger iterations: a thin, crusty patty crowned with a melting veil of cheese and plenty of sweet griddled onions, all held together between warm, crunchy slices of toasted rye. Yum! The bad news is you can't have this inspired creation, or any other restaurant-style burger, without a massive caloric investment. The good news is that our immensely satisfying 340-calorie version of the patty melt is never more than 15 minutes away in the comfort of your very own kitchen. Fast, low-calorie, and delicious. The perfect excuse to cut the fast-food middle man out of your diet altogether.

Nutrition: 340 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated), 640 mg sodium

Serves 4

You'll Need

1 lb ground sirloin or ground turkey (Both turkey and sirloin will produce perfectly lean, delicious results, so really, it's just a matter of personal preference.)
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large red onion, diced
4 slices Swiss cheese (Not only is Swiss traditional, but it also contains fewer calories and less sodium than Cheddar.)
8 slices rye bread, toasted

How to Make It

Season the meat with the salt and pepper and form into 4 large, thin patties.
Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and scatter the onion around the burgers.
Stir the onion from time to time to keep it from burning.
Cook the burgers for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and immediately cover each with a slice of Swiss.
Continue cooking until the burgers are cooked all the way through, about another 3 minutes. Remove, place on top of the toasted rye, cover with the sautéed onions, and top with the other slice of rye.

Eat This Tip

Diced Onion: Step by Step

Fumble your way through an onion, and you'll end up bathed in tears. Speed up your prep (and keep your eyes dry!) with these three simple steps that will yield you restaurant-quality chopped onions, giving you even more reason to eat in.

Step 1: Slice off the top, leaving the root end intact
Step 2: Make a series of horizontal and vertical cuts.
Step 3: Chop across the onion in 1⁄4-inch intervals.

This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!

3.4/5 (54 Reviews)