As part of our family’s commitment to healthier eating, I’ve been working on recreating some of our favorite meals with better ingredients. Today’s kitchen experiment? Square burger patties inspired by Wendy’s, but made with high-quality grass-fed beef.
Why square patties? Simple – I wanted to create something that would be quick to cook, consistent in size, and easy to store for those busy weeknight dinners. Plus, there’s something satisfying about a perfectly square burger that hangs over the edges of your bun!
The real star of this recipe is the grass-fed beef. If you’ve never worked with it before, let me tell you – the taste difference is remarkable. It’s SO MUCH BETTER than conventional beef, bringing a richer, more complex flavor to these simple patties.
The prep process is surprisingly quick. Working with cold beef (this is key!), it took me only about 15 minutes to season the meat, roll it out, and cut it into uniform squares. Using parchment paper and a ruler makes the process almost foolproof, creating perfect 4×4 inch patties that are just the right thickness for fast cooking.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 lbs grass-fed ground beef (keep it cold!)
- 1 teaspoon salt per pound
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper per pound
Equipment:
- Large baking sheet (18″x13″)
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Ruler
- Sharp knife
- Wax paper for separating patties
The Process:
- Gently mix your seasonings into the cold beef and let it rest for 10 minutes
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper
- Roll the meat to an even 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of parchment
- Chill for 15 minutes
- Cut into 4″x4″ squares using a ruler as your guide
- Layer between wax paper for storage
While I haven’t frozen these yet (this is my first batch!), they’re designed to go straight from freezer to grill or pan. I’ll update this post with cooking times and tips once I’ve had a chance to test that aspect.
Pro Tips:
- Keep everything cold during the process
- Make straight cuts from the edges inward
- Clean your knife between cuts if needed
- Save the trim pieces to reroll for additional patties
- A standard baking sheet should yield 8-10 square patties
This recipe is part of our ongoing effort to create healthier versions of our favorite foods. By making them at home, we control the quality of ingredients while still enjoying the convenience of having ready-to-cook meals in the freezer.
Stay tuned for an update on how these cook from frozen and our favorite ways to serve them. In the meantime, if you try this method, I’d love to hear your results!
Tyson Brooks is a 36-year-old creative who traded Utah’s bustle for Wyoming’s wide-open spaces in 2023. When he’s not crafting stories through technical theater lighting or working on his space exploration novel series, you’ll find him in his cozy 980 sq ft home, experimenting with healthy comfort food recipes or discovering how much richer life can be with less. Follow his family’s journey into intentional living, simple cooking, and finding joy in the unexpected.
