This easy to make Patty Melt recipe is made with very thin ground beef patties that are layered with caramelized onions and swiss cheese between rye bread and then grilled in a cast iron skillet.
Hearty and delicious with crispy buttery grilled bread, piled high onions and melted cheese, this is the best patty melt recipe ever! It is pure comfort food!
What is a Patty Melt
A patty melt is a ground beef sandwich that is served with grilled onions and melted cheese between two slices of grilled bread. This variation of a cheeseburger served on bread instead of a bun.
This sandwich is typically made on rye bread with grilled onions and American cheese. It can also be made on sourdough bread, cheddar, swiss, or gruyere cheese. Some people like to dress the patty melt with a Thousand Island Dressing.
🥪 Hearty Sandwiches
My family loves big hearty sandwiches with all kinds of protein and/or veggies. Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Portobello Cheesesteak Sandwiches, and Loose Meat Sandwiches. You name it, the heartier the better!
For this patty melt recipe, I did not skimp on onions. My family loves caramelized onions so we piled them up! Feel free to make these with as many or as few onions are you wish.
🥘 Ingredients
80/20 ground beef, I like to use this ratio to prevent dry burgers as I often do not add anything to the meat.
Olive oil for caramelizing the onions
White onions
Butter
Swiss cheese
Rye bread
🍽 Equipment
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A cast iron skillet is the best method of making this recipe. It heats evenly and holds the heat. I like to cook all the components of this recipe in the same pan.
Heat resistant spatula that is good for flipping burgers. I like to use these spatulas.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 20 minutes, until they have caramelized. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
Step 2
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef patties to the hot skillet and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on each side for 2 minutes, or until beef is cooked through. Remove the patties from the skillet and wipe the pan if needed.
Step 3
- Top each sandwich with the 2nd slice of bread. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bread is toasted. Flip the sandwich over and cook 3 minutes more, until bread is toasted and the cheese has melted.
💭 Top Tips
- Make the caramelized onions ahead of time to save time when assembling the sandwiches. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Be sure to flatten the ground beef patties out so they are very thin, approximately ¼ inch thick.
📖 Variations
- Use a different cheese in place of Swiss. Try american, cheddar, or provolone. Or, add a little kick and use pepper jack.
- Spread some Thousand Island Salad Dressing or Chipotle Salad Dressing on the sandwich before grilling.
More Burger Recipes
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Patty Melts with Swiss on Rye
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 20 minutes, until they have caramelized. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef patties to the hot skillet and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on each side for 2 minutes, or until beef is cooked through. Remove the patties from the skillet and wipe the pan if needed.
- Butter each slice of bread on one side. Place one slice of bread butter side down in the hot skillet. Add 1 beef patty to the top of the bread slice along with ¼ of the onions and a slice of cheese.
- Top each sandwich with the 2nd slice of bread. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bread is toasted. Flip the sandwich over and cook 3 minutes more, until bread is toasted and the cheese has melted.
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