My beloved Broncos have made it to the Super Bowl!
I could not be more proud… or more nervous. Yup, definitely nervous. Did you see their last Super Bowl performance? Not so great. But it probably cannot go worse. And surely they have learned a thing or two since then. Yipes, I sure hope so.
If you need anything on Sunday, I will not be available. I will be glued to the tv, watching the Vonster rip apart the Panthers o-line.
Anyway, to give me something- anything- else to focus on between now and then are these tasty cheeseburger wontons. These do take a little time (they are easy- just a little time consuming) but they are so worth it- crispy on the outside, warm and gooey and comfort-foody on the inside. By reducing the amount of ground beef and replacing it with caramelized onions and the meaty, umami flavor of sauteed mushrooms you are significantly reducing the amount of saturated fat and upping the flavor. Throw in a little garlic, some cheese and and some parsley and you are in for a surprising amount of flavor in these tiny, crispy little bites. Oooh, they are so good- seriously, I am almost as excited about these cheeseburger wontons as I am about watching the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
They also get baked, no frying here! But they still have that characteristic crunch that comes from frying, but it makes them significantly healthier. So go ahead, have another one while I go make sure my lucky shirt is cleaned and ready to go!
- 8 oz Button Mushrooms
- ½ Large Yellow Onion
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup 93% Lean Ground Beef
- ½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 TBSP Fresh Parsley, minced
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 package wonton wrappers.
- Peel and chop the onion. Chop the mushrooms.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan, when oil is hot, add the onions and turn the heat down to low. Allow the onions to caramelize for about 20 minutes. To do this, keep the heat low, stir only occasionally and add about 2 TBSP water to the pan every 3-5 minutes- or when the pan is very dry and you are worried the onions may burn- to help the onions caramelize without burning. Stir after you have added the water but leave the onions to caramelize while the water evaporates.
- While you are waiting, prep the rest of the mixture: finely chop the garlic and the parsley and combine in a bowl with the ground beef, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, mustard and salt and pepper.
- When the onions are brown and caramelized, push them to the outskirts of the pan. Toss the mushrooms into the pan and allow them to cook, undisturbed for 2 minute. Stir and then let cook another minute.
- De-glaze the pan by adding 1 TBSP water. Turn off the heat and stir, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Water should evaporate within a minute.
- Allow the onion mixture to cool a bit, then stir it in with the ground beef and cheese mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Scoop ~2 tsp of the mixture into a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges with water and seal them together. Place them on a sheet pan/cookie sheet or baking tray that has been LIBERALLY sprayed with pan spray. Repeat with the remaining filling until you are out of filling.
- Before putting them in the oven, spray the wontons with pan spray, again, be generous. Bake for 6 minutes or until golden and crunchy on the outside and ground beef is cooked through.
It also freezes well, so go ahead and make the wontons ahead of time, but do not cook. Freeze on a sheet pan for at least 20 minutes, then transfer to a ziploc or tupperware container. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer right to the oven. Increase cooking time 3 minutes.
