Football season is officially upon us and there’s going to be a lot of grilling and tailgating in the coming months. That means burgers – and hot dogs and brats and chips & dip. Well, I’ve never been a very big of a fan of burgers. I was strictly a chicken nugget girl growing up, and cheeseburgers continue to be pretty low on my list of favorites (unless they’re all fancied up with unique toppings and buns).

So what’s a girl like me to do when it comes to football season and everyone wants burgers? Create a delicious and easy alternative to the good old burger, of course! Enter, the meatball burger. I’ve combined the traditional easy of grilling with my love of Italian food to make one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. I’m so excited to share them with you guys.

It’s basically a meatball sandwich in burger form, but grilling burger patties over some charcoal is a lot easier than busting out a slow cooker to keep those meatballs warm all day, especially if you’re tailgating. Plus, it’s just fun to do something new once in a while.

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All I did was mix together some ground beef and ground pork with my favorite meatball mix-ins like pecorino romano cheese, basil and garlic. I decided to swap my usual milk-soaked bread binder for some breadcrumbs and milk, and it made things come together a little quicker. Once the seasonings were evenly combined with the meat, I formed the mixture into 8 burger patties.

That’s where you would stop if you were preparing them ahead of time for grilling. Keep them separated with a bit of parchment or wax paper and refrigerate until you’re ready to put them on the grill. You can easily make the sauce the night before, too.

Then, when you’re ready, cook them just as you would any other burger, as long as the center reaches 145˚F so that the pork is thoroughly cooked. Top the cooked burgers with sliced mozzarella and the sauce and serve on a fancy hamburger bun or ciabatta roll.