NY Pizza Burgers! Bringing some East Coast to the West Coast for Fourth of July

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stop & Shop. All opinions are 100% mine.

As an East Coast chick living in the west, I have to tell you that one of the things I miss most is the Fourth of July festivities. Summer barbecues were obviously the best, but there was something amazing about gathering friends and relatives together for “the big one.” The day would start with our small town’s Independence Day Parade, where us kids would trample over each other to collect the candy being thrown from the colorful floats. We’d be lining the streets for miles, no matter if it was rain or sun – in fact, one year it snowed! Nothing could stop us.

After the parade, it was back to the homestead to gather wood for the bonfire, get our fireworks ready to rock and getting our barbecue ready. My mom will have gone to the Stop & Shop to pick up all our necessities for a good meal: corn on the cob to roast, chips and dips, sodas and giant packs of ice. She’d buy chocolate and marshmallows to make s’mores, and she’d usually grab some fruit cocktail for her famous fruit salad.

Back then, my dad wasn’t as amazing at barbecuing as he is now, so often the first few burgers would come out burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. He didn’t understand why we wouldn’t just eat them anyway. But after grumbling a bit, he’d throw them back on and we’d eventually get a perfectly cooked burger to eat.

Now that I’m grown, I miss my hometown and the big gatherings that would happen a few times a year. The one I miss the most is the Fourth of July. But with a family of my own, we’ve definitely made our own traditions, drawing from each side of the family tree to find something uniquely ours. Each year, we gather the clan together and pick a gourmet burger recipe to try. This year, we’ve decided to go for the NY Pizza Burger, which is celebrating my Italian side of our family, as well as my East Coast roots.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb 85% lean ground beef
1 envelope onion mushroom soup mix
1/2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp jarred pasta sauce
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 ciabatta rolls

In a medium bowl, gently mix together the beef, onion mushroom soup mix, oregano and Parmesan cheese.

Shape the meat into four patties. You can use less for the young kids and more for the adults if you want.

Grill over medium heat for 13 to 15 minutes, about 7-8 minutes per side, to medium doneness.

While the burgers are cooking, heat the pasta sauce in a sauce pan for about 3-4 minutes. I set mine right on the barbecue, and it worked great. I also lightly toasted our rolls to add an extra bit of yum factor!

When burgers are about 1-2 minutes from being cooked, place a slice of cheese on each one. I used thick cuts of mozzarella, but you can make them thinner if you want. Or you can change it up and use provolone if you prefer.

Once the cheese is melted, place the burgers on the rolls and top with the heated pasta sauce. I added a basil leaf to ours, as well. It looked pretty and tasted amazing!

These burgers really bring me back to my childhood, and I am so excited to bring some more of my family traditions to my children’s lives. While west coast living is a little different than I’m used to, I know they are loving it. And there are always ways to combine our backgrounds into one brand new and AWESOME reality.