Scramble Burger omelets are a delicious and easy choice, whether for breakfast or dinner. Can’t think of what to make? Make a Scramble Burger!
The first time I had this, it was at a diner in West Hollywood, California. The diner was next door to the Starwood Nightclub, where many bands got their start, including The Go Go’s, Van Halen, and Mötley Crüe. According to the staff, the chef invented it when a gluten-sensitive customer really wanted a mushroom cheeseburger but couldn’t have a bun. So he took some of the burger ingredients, mixed them with eggs, added spinach to replace lettuce, and served it. The customer loved it and came back again and again. Other customers started ordering it, too, and it became popular.
I will admit I am a little odd. I don’t care for the texture of omelets, so I just make scrambled eggs and add the ingredients to them. You are more than welcome to make this a traditional omelet if you wish. However, this recipe will be for the scrambled egg version. Frankly, it’s a lot easier to make.
How to Make Scrambled Eggs
This should be simple, right? Wrong. Scrambled eggs can be the hardest thing to get right. However, once you know the trick, it’s very easy.
Eggs should be thoroughly mixed until no white appears, but you don’t want to add additional air; otherwise, you have a souffle. Using a fork breaks the eggs up but does not add a lot of air the way using a whisk does, so keep the whisk for meringues.
Adding water to eggs creates steam while they are cooking, leading to fluffiness. However, when you have heavy ingredients like beef, the fat in milk helps stabilize the proteins while still creating the necessary steam. Here we are using cream for that same reason, plus it adds richness.
Eggs by themselves are a little tasteless. They need some help. A few drops of Worcestershire sauce bring out the umami, a drop or two of Tabasco also adds flavor, and finally, a pinch of salt.
What You Need for a Scramble Burger
Burgers usually come with lettuce. However, lettuce becomes soft and unappetizing when it gets too warm. The reason lettuce is crisp on a burger is that it is usually the last thing put on after the tomato, and the tomato keeps it from getting too hot. In this instance, we use spinach because although it easily wilts when exposed to heat, it still retains its wonderful flavor and nutritional value.
Scramble burgers are a great way to use up that little bit of ground beef you might have leftover from making another dish. If you don’t want to use ground beef, feel free to use ground turkey or even plant-based meat. Mushrooms are often used as a burger substitute, so you could omit the meat altogether.
This combination of ingredients also makes an ideal quiche. We call it the Scramble Burger Quiche.
The other thing you need is a pan that doesn’t stick. I have one Cuisinart non-stick pan with only one job – making scrambled eggs. I handwash it with an escobeta and use a silicone spatula so it never gets scratched. That doesn’t mean you must use a non-stick pan; it can be a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a well-seasoned carbon steel pan. You could also use stainless steel, but it might have some sticking.
Let’s Make Scramble Burger
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Scramble Burgers
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Ingredients
~~ — For the Scramble — ~~
- 4 Eggs
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/12 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, dash
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Cream
- ½ teaspoon unsalted butter
~~ — For the Burger — ~~
- ½ teaspoon unsalted butter
- ¼ pound Ground Sirloin
- ¼ pound Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon Shallots in Oil
- ½ cup Spinach, fresh loosely packed
- ¼ cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
Instructions
- Mise en place
- 4 Eggs, 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/12 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, 1/8 teaspoon SaltMix the eggs, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and salt in a bowl using a fork.
- 1 tablespoon CreamAdd the cream and mix until there are no visible signs of the cream. Set the butter aside as you will be using at the end of cooking.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, 1/4 pound Ground SirloinHeat a pan and add half the butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the ground beef.
- Sauté the beef until it is cooked through and browning. Make a well in the center of the beef. That is where the mushrooms are going to go.
- 1/4 pound Mushrooms, 1 tablespoon Shallots in OilAdd shallots in oil to the pan then add the mushrooms.
- Cook the mixture until the mushrooms have softened and begun to brown.
- 1/2 cup SpinachAdd the spinach to the pan.
- Let the spinach wilt and cook down. You will be surprised how little what seemed like a huge amount of spinach is when it has cooked down.
- Add the egg mixture to the pan. Cook the eggs thoroughly by stirring and sliding them about until they have set up.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butterAdd the butter and let it melt into the scrambled eggs.
- 1/4 cup Cheddar CheeseFinally, add the cheese.
- Stir the eggs while the cheese melts. When all the cheese has melted, the eggs are done.
- Serve the eggs with toast or sliced tomatoes as garnish. Enjoy!
