These Chopped Cheeseburgers are a cross between a sloppy joe and a McDonald’s Big Mac. They’re super quick and easy, delicious, and quite awesome! Weeknight dinner lifesaver that your entire family will ask for regularly.
These chopped cheeseburgers are sort of like if a sloppy Joe and McDonald’s Big Mac got married. Some people say they’re similar to a Maid Rite loose meat sandwich. They’re truly the best of both worlds, easy to make, incredibly yummy, and so much more than ordinary.
What is a Maid Rite?
A Maid Rite is a loose meat sandwich, which originated in an Iowa restaurant back in 1926. It’s now a franchise, with locations in Missouri and Kansas, as well. Depending on where you are in the Midwest, this sandwich is referred to as a loose hamburger sandwich, tavern sandwich, Nu-Way, Steamer, Big T, or simply a Maid Rite.
Maid Rite sandwiches don’t typically have a sauce, or cheese, and are not baked – these are just a few (delicious!) twists I’ve added. They are somewhat in the same vein as a sloppy joe, though – seasoned loose ground beef on a bun and wonderfully messy.
Call them a chopped cheeseburger, a loose meat sandwich, or a Maid Rite. We just call them absolutely delicious!
What’s in This Chopped Cheeseburger Recipe?
The original recipe is under lock and key, making everyone guess what exactly is in it, but the few ingredients that nobody argues with are ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, and a bun. From there, many variations exist.
Like all famous midwestern recipes, everyone has their own take on them and the Maid-Rite sandwich is no exception. Some cooks use mustard, while others add ketchup. Some cooks even include BBQ sauce. Sometimes pickles, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar are mixed into the meat. I’ve even heard of these sandwiches being made with beef broth or beer.
This particular version is my family’s favorite, which includes the following ingredients:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Meat mixture – lean ground beef, sweet onion, salt, pepper, dill pickle relish.
- Buns – any slider buns will do (round or square), expect Hawaiian and Pretzel.
- Condiments – mayonnaise, ketchup, and Sriracha hot sauce.
- Cheese – Kraft Singles American cheese. Yep, the fake cheese!
How to Make Chopped Cheeseburgers
These sliders are so incredibly easy to make. With only a few steps, you’ll have dinner on the table in less then 30! Here’s the run down.
(Don’t miss the detailed printable recipe card below.)
- Make the meat mixture – brown the meat and onions together in some olive oil until cooked through, then drain off the fat. Season with the salt and pepper and stir in the pickle relish.
- Coat the buns – mix together mayonnaise and Sriracha and coat the inside of the top bun halves with it, then coat the bottom halves with ketchup.
- Form the sliders – place the bottom of the rolls in a 9×13 pan, pile the meat mixture on top, followed by cheese slices, and finishing with the bun tops.
- Bake – bake for several minutes until the bread is toasted and cheese is melted.
Serving Suggestions
These chopped cheeseburgers are a fantastic appetizer for game day. They also make an easy dinner served with french fries, air fryer onion rings, or fried pickles! Tack on a simple side salad for a complete meal.
Storing Leftovers
These sliders are best enjoyed hot and fresh, but you can store leftovers for a bit in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days. I recommend reheating the sliders in the oven to crisp the bun up as much as possible. Reheating in the microwave is going to lead to a soggier bun.
More Must-Make Sandwich Recipes:
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Salisbury Steak Meatball Subs
- Reuben Sandwich
- Tuna Melt
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Chopped Cheeseburgers
Ingredients
- 12 small dinner rolls
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion , diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup dill pickle relish
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 6 slices American cheese singles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bottoms of the rolls in the prepared pan, reserving the tops.
- In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise and Sriracha hot sauce. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add in the onion and ground beef; cook until onions are translucent and the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off fat. Season with the salt and pepper and stir in the dill pickle relish. Set aside.
- Spread an even amount of ketchup onto each roll bottom, followed by the cooked ground beef. Top with the cheese slices. Spread the spicy mayo mixture on the dinner roll tops and place on top of the cheese.
- Bake until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, 5-10 minutes. Serve right away and enjoy!
This is one of my favorite quick recipes! So very tasty. I make chopped burgers at least 3-4 times a month!
This recipe is a total winner. We were looking for something to cut down any gaminess in the taste of the meat we get when it defrosts and this was amazing…it was exactly the balance of flavors and the change we needed.
Oh my. These are now one of my favorites.
These were so YUMMY!
These were so delicious and I can’t believe how simple they are to put together. My husband loved them so much. He is looking forward to eating more tomorrow ?
Just served my college freshman son these and he said “mom these are literally just big macs.” I said “Yes that is exactly what they are supposed to be!”
These were such a big hit in my house! They have been added to the weekly meals. Super easy to make and delicious!!
Made these the other night an WOW. My husband said it almost tastes like a McDonalds Cheeseburger. We’re going to omit the spicy mayo next time, add mustard and some sliced pickles to see if we can recreate.
Even better the next day!
Just to confirm… these would or would not work with Hawaiian rolls? Just mini dinner rolls? These look fantastic. Planning on making them this week!
Those should work fine!
Quick. Easy. Fabulous. I would’ve sent a pic, but it’s an empty plate.
Omg these were so yummy! Mom of 4 boys here (!!) and they all said not to lose the recipe. Thank you!
Made these tonight & my husband really enjoyed these. Even made the comment that they could become a weekly thing if I really wanted to make them ;)
I really loved this recipe and so did my husband.
These were great!!
expect Hawaiian and Pretzel.
So this won’t work with Hawaiian bread?
Omg I’m not gonna lie I kinda had low expectations for this recipe only because it was so simple. Wow was I wrong!! This was absolutely delicious! I’m so shocked! I did sauté some mushroom and onions and add to mine. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Family loved them!
I made these for dinner, tonight! WOW!! They were great! I left out the Sriracha as my house partner doesn’t like “spicy”, but he loved the meat!! This will be a regular on the menu.
I just made these tonight and they were delish!! I will be double the recipe next time! So good!!
Great recipe! Easy to make and full of flavor. I’m not a huge fan of mayo, so I substituted Greek yogurt. At high altitude (Colorado), mine were ready before 10 minutes so keep an eye on them.
Are these spicy from the sirachi???
If you stick to the recommended amount they won’t be spicy,just tangy.
This was really good!
Made these this evening! Delicious! Will make them again
Made this for my family a few nights ago. Three kids (14,13,12) & my husband. Sometimes the kids will try to pick apart a new recipe. They ask what’s this here, what’s in it… That night I said it’s a slider, just eat it. They did & all liked it very much. I will surely make them again. We had leftovers & I just popped the pan back in the oven for sometime & they were just as good the second time around.
Delicious! My husband was skeptical when I was preparing it and ended up enjoying every morsel. I followed the recipe exactly and will definitely make again!
Can these be made ahead of time like day prior
Hi Julie – I wouldn’t actually assemble the sliders the day before because the bread could get soggy, but you could cook up the hamburger filling the day before (store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and then warm up before assembling the sliders.)
I made these for my family tonight and they were out of this world delicious !!!! Thanks so much for this recipe. It’s totally a keeper!
I made mine with ground venison and 2 slices of chopped bacon (for fat). I decided no hot sauce and to use colby jack cheese. Turned out amazing! I will for sure make these again for potlucks, dinners and whenever else. Thank you!
Possible substitute for the sriracha?
There really isn’t a comparable substitute, but Tabasco would be the closest thing. However you wouldn’t use nearly as much – just a few dashes.
If you perfer “Tangy” over “Spicy” You could sub horseradish for the sriracha, The way i do it is i do the mayo/sriracha on bottom and Mayo/Horseradish on top.
These were fantastic!
I do not have dill pickle relish. Would you just put pickle slices on top or cut up pickles? Making it tomorrow night and cannot wait. Thank you!
Hi Christina! I would finely dice the pickles up and add them to the meat, along with just a splash of dill pickle juice.
All of this looks so good can’t wait to try.
These look and sound amazing!! Love the ……….!
Would it be possible to make the hamburger mix and keep it warm in a Crock-Pot and let guests make their hamburger as they pleased?
I guess? The meat mixture might dry out though, since there’s not a whole lot of moisture like a cheese dip or a soup. Try it.
Made these tonight and they were delicious. Definitely a hit with the family!
These were GREAT! My mouth is watering as I write this. Can’t wait to make again. Yummmmm!
This looks super delicious , definitely saving it.
Thanks Amy
I’m not gonna lie. I would eat the kids’ too. These look unsettlingly good. No regrat.
My family devoured these! Will definitely make again and again!
Yep!
Dill pickle relish plus mayo, sriracha, and ketchup?? Yes please!
They’re so yummy, Melissa!