Easy Cheesy Cauliflower using an Outdoor Griddle

My outdoor griddle isn’t just for smash burgers, quesadillas and pizzas. I even use it for side dishes such as this easy cheesy cauliflower. Now, this might not be the healthiest side dish I’ve ever made outside. But it sure was one of the tastiest! And it’s definitely one of the easiest! This is the perfect thing to serve alongside my griddled smash burger!

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower using an Outdoor Griddle

Is Cheese Ever Optional?

You could leave out the cheese sauce. And just make easy cauliflower using an outdoor griddle. A little salt and pepper. Serve it up. And it’d be good. But for me, to get to ‘great’ you gotta add the cheese sauce. Kraft makes this crazy easy crazy good Velveeta sauce that comes in a little foil packet. You just pour the sauce into a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds and boom! Instant cheese sauce perfect for something like cauliflower!

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower using an Outdoor Griddle

Also try my easy cheesy bacon broccoli made on the outdoor griddle!

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower using an Outdoor Griddle
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5 from 1 vote

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower using an Outdoor Griddle

You could leave out the cheese sauce and still have a great cauliflower side dish.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword broccoli, griddle
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 84kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your griddle over medium heat.
  • Open the bag of cauliflower and place on the griddle. Use your spatula to mound the cauliflower in a small circle.
  • Give the cauliflower a few good squirts of water and season well with salt and pepper.
  • Cover and let the cauliflower cook for 5 minutes.
  • Take a quick peek inside. I like to give the lid a good shake first or you can stir the broccoli with the lid off. If the cauliflower is drying out add more water. Feel free to add more salt and pepper too.
  • Keep cooking for up to 12 minutes total. Check it one more time after 10 minutes to make sure more water and/or seasoning isn't needed.
  • Remove the cauliflower to a medium bowl.
  • Empty the contents of the cheese sauce packet into a microwavable bowl and heat per package instructions, 30 seconds. Stir.
  • Spook the cheese sauce over the cauliflower .
  • Stir to combine.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe can be made using fresh cauliflower instead. Bring a pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and boil for 3-4 minutes until bright green and just starting to soften. Remove to an ice bath to cool completely. Drain well before placing onto the hot griddle.

Nutrition

Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ground Beef Nachos using an Outdoor Griddle

I love my outdoor griddle. It’s huge and cooks evenly, perfect for everything I want to make on it. Today I made ground beef nachos using an outdoor griddle. Now, usually, I’ll make this on the stovetop and in the oven. But, I love cooking outside so that’s where I went. I could’ve also made it on my indoor griddle, though it’s quite a bit smaller. No matter what griddle you use, this is a great easy way to have a delicious dish in really not much time at all.

Ground Beef Nachos using an Outdoor Griddle

That Crunch

A really well seasoned beef is key to these ground beef nachos using an outdoor griddle. And cooking it over high heat to get that great browned, slightly crunchy, texture. The beef smells amazing as it cooks. You know you’re in for something good as soon as it hits the griddle.

I use a few cast iron fajita skillets for serving my nachos. First, they’re kinda neat. Second, I can top them with the tortilla chips and place them over a low-heat area of my griddle to heat. If I’m cooking inside I just slide them into the oven over 225 F for 5-10 minutes. The chips get nice and crunchy and warm. Just remember, the skillets are hot. And that means the handles on them are hot. Don’t accidentally grab them with your bare hands, and always serve them with their little oven mitts covering the handles.

The Toppings

Beyond the delicious beef, chips, and cheese, everything is up to you. I like to have a combination of flavors and textures. I also like to have a few cold toppings, such as lettuce or sour cream. If I’m serving these with taco sauce I usually put it on the side because you never know how much you might want.

I love making smash burgers on my griddle, too! Check out my list of my favorite smash burger recipes.

Ground Beef Nachos using a Griddle
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5 from 1 vote

Ground Beef Nachos using an Outdoor Griddle

Beyond the delicious beef, chips, and cheese, everything is up to you.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword griddle, nachos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 1575kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the nachos

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning from below, or your favorite
  • 8 cups tortilla chips more, or less
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • Your favorite nacho toppings salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, jalapenos, black olives, etc

For the taco seasoning (store leftover in an air-tight container)

Instructions

For the nachos

  • Preheat your griddle over medium-high heat.
  • Crumble the ground beef onto the griddle and begin to brown. Break up the meat as it cooks using a spatula.
  • When the beef is about halfway cooked add the seasoning and stir. Continue cooking until done.
  • Meanwhile, divide the chips between the skillets and place them on a part of the griddle over low heat. Sprinkle with the cheese.
  • Once the meat is done and the cheese is melted, divide the ground beef between the skillets.
  • Using a pot holder, remove the skillets from the griddle and place into their heat-proof holders.
  • Add remaining desired nacho toppings and serve. Make sure you remind everyone that the skillet handles are hot!

For the taco seasoning (store leftover in an air-tight container)

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. I prefer to then transfer it to a spice grinder and give it a little grind so the resulting mix is a little finer.
  • To use, add 2-3 tablespoons to every 1 pound of ground beef.

Notes

Feel free to add onions or tomatoes to the beef as it cooks.

Nutrition

Calories: 1575kcal | Carbohydrates: 173g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 83g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 3381mg | Potassium: 1195mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5418IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 558mg | Iron: 10mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Easy Cheesy Bacon Broccoli using an Outdoor Griddle

My outdoor griddle isn’t just for smash burgers, quesadillas and pizzas. I even use it for side dishes such as this easy cheesy bacon broccoli using an outdoor griddle. Now, this might not be the healthiest side dish I’ve ever made outside. But it sure was one of the tastiest! And it’s definitely one of the easiest! This is the perfect thing to serve alongside my griddled smash burger!

Easy Cheesy Bacon Broccoli using an Outdoor Griddle

Are Cheese and Bacon Ever Optional?

You could leave out the cheese sauce. And even the bacon. And just make easy broccoli using an outdoor griddle. A little salt and pepper. Serve it up. And it’d be good. But for me, to get to ‘great’ you gotta add the cheese sauce and bacon bits. Kraft makes this crazy easy crazy good Velveeta sauce that comes in a little foil packet. You just pour the sauce into a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds and boom! Instant cheese sauce perfect for something like broccoli!

Steaming the broccoli on the griddle is easy. Just squirt it with a bit of water and let it cook a bit under a dome. It comes out perfectly every time!

This broccoli is an excellent served alongside my Oklahoma onion smash burgers!

Easy Cheesy Bacon Broccoli using a Griddle
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5 from 1 vote

Easy Cheesy Bacon Broccoli using an Outdoor Griddle

You could leave out the cheese sauce. And even the bacon.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword broccoli, griddle
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 92kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your griddle over medium heat.
  • Open the bag of broccoli and place on the griddle. Use your spatula to mound the broccoli in a small circle.
  • Give the broccoli a few good squirts of water and season well with salt and pepper.
  • Cover and let the broccoli cook for 5 minutes.
  • Take a quick peek inside. I like to give the lid a good shake first or you can stir the broccoli with the lid off. If the broccoli is drying out add more water. Feel free to add more salt and pepper too.
  • Keep cooking for up to 12 minutes total. Check it one more time after 10 minutes to make sure more water and/or seasoning isn't needed.
  • Remove the broccoli to a medium bowl.
  • Empty the contents of the cheese sauce packet into a microwavable bowl and heat per package instructions, 30 seconds. Stir.
  • Spoon the cheese sauce over the broccoli.
  • Add a few good pinches of bacon.
  • Stir to combine.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe can be made using fresh broccoli instead. Bring a pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and boil for 3-4 minutes until bright green and just starting to soften. Remove to an ice bath to cool completely. Drain well before placing onto the hot griddle.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 808IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Silver Dollar Pancakes

As I was devouring the Big Bad Breakfast cookbook by John Currence, I came across this recipe for silver dollar pancakes. I flashed back to the last time I had them. I think it was in the 1970s in Reno, Nevada. Seriously. 40 plus years ago. How did that happen? I instantly bookmarked the recipe on my Kindle reader. I had everything on hand to make them except for buttermilk. A quick trip to the grocery store took care of that.

There’s nothing complicated here. The batter is perfect. You can use the same batter to make these full-sized, but for me, the memory of silver dollar pancakes made making them again even more special.

Silver Dollar Pancakes

Easy To Make. Even Easier To Eat.

I made these silver dollar pancakes using my Cuisinart Griddler. I opened the Griddler flat so I could use both griddle plates at the same time then set the selector to Griddle. The temperature was set to maximum the entire time. The top griddle doesn’t get as hot as what is normally the bottom griddle, so food cooked on that side will take a little longer to cook.

Of course you can use a skillet or any other type of griddle instead!

Looking for a great side dish for your pancakes? Make some waffle iron sausages!

Silver Dollar Pancakes
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5 from 1 vote

Silver Dollar Pancakes

There’s nothing complicated here. The batter is perfect. You can use the same batter to make these full-sized, but for me, the memory of silver dollar pancakes made making them again even more special.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword pancakes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 322kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  • In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, milk, eggs and vanilla.
  • Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until completely incorporated.
  • Whisk in the melted butter.
  • Heat a griddle, Griddler, or large skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray (or melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter).
  • Working in batches, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter onto the griddle. Do not crowd the pancakes. I was able to cook 12 at a time on the Cuisinart Griddler.
  • Once the tops of the pancakes start to bubble (2-3 minutes on the Griddler, maybe sooner on a stove-top), flip and continue to cook until browned, another 30 seconds or longer.
  • Keep cooked pancakes in a warmed oven until all of the batter is used.

Notes

You can freeze the pancakes and reheat later.

Nutrition

Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 462IU | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

The tastiest burgers are cooked on a flat-top griddle or in a hot skillet. Unlike a grill, the fat doesn’t drip down into the fire below. Instead, it stays on the burger, keeping it moist. And the added plus of a griddle is that you get that wonderful char. These Oklahoma fried onion burgers would be your standard fantastic griddle burgers, but they have a very tasty twist: onions that are griddled into the patties. The result is divine.

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

Griddled Burgers Are Divine

I use a griddle insert from Weber that fits into my charcoal and gas grills to griddle burgers like these Oklahoma fried onion burgers. It not only gets super hot, it gets hot consistently across the entire griddle. This ensures that I get nice evenly cooked burgers no matter how many I am cooking at once. I absolutely love making burgers on my griddles. They don’t get that great live-fire flavor but they make up for it with that wonderful burger crust.

Also try my super-cheesy queso burgers.

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers
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5 from 1 vote

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

These Oklahoma fried onion burgers would be your standard fantastic griddle burgers, but they have a very tasty twist: onions that are griddled into the patties. The result is divine.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword burgers
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 610kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the onion slices in a large bowl.
  • Toss with 1 teaspoon of salt and let rest for 30 minutes to extract as much liquid out of the onions as possible.
  • Transfer the onions to a towel or a few sheets of paper towels, roll up tightly and squeeze to remove as much liquid as you can.
  • Divide the onion slices into 4 equal piles on a cutting board or flat surface.
  • Divide the beef into 4 patties and form into balls.
  • Place beef on top of the onions and, using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a small skillet, flatten the beef into patties. The onions will stick to the bottom of the patties. That’s what you want.
  • Season patties with salt and pepper.
  • Heat up a griddle or cast iron skillet on your stove top or grill over medium-high heat.
  • Add the butter and swirl it around to coat the griddle or skillet.
  • Add the patties, onion side down, and cook for 6-8 minutes. You’ll see the onions starting to turn golden brown and get crispy around the sides.
  • Flip and continue cooking until the burgers are done, about 2 more minutes.
  • Top with cheese and remove.
  • Toast the buns, if desired.
  • Add the patties, mayonnaise, mustard, and pickles.

Notes

The key is to dry the onions so they get crispy, not sauté.

Nutrition

Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 896mg | Potassium: 469mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 323IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 335mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.