Warm weather has finally arrived in Western New York after a brutally long winter. Now that the threat of snow is out of Mother Nature’s system, we’re kicking off the start of spring by grilling as often as possible. Ever since we discovered Luke’s intolerance to basically every food in the world gluten, we’ve been trying to be more creative with the meals we make for our family. And while I do occasionally give into the cravings for pasta salads and carbs, it has been nice to find healthier substitutes for our favorite meals.

With camping season revving up, we’ve had burgers on the brain. But we decided to switch things up a bit and make our own rather than grill the store-bought patties! Enter: gluten free BBQ bacon burgers with aged Black Creek cheddar.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Gluten-free bread crumbs
• BBQ sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Ground meat
• Cheese
• Bacon
• Iceberg lettuce
• Red onion

Place ground meat, bread crumbs, BBQ/Worcestershire sauce, and diced onions in a large mixing bowl. Dice your cheese of choice and sprinkle it in. (We used Black Creek Sharp Cheddar Cheese for a smooth and creamy taste.) Cook roughly 1/2 lb. of bacon and chop half of it into small pieces, keeping some bacon to top the burgers once they’re cooked. Mix everything together and shape to form a patty. Grill them to your liking.

Once your burgers are cooked, it’s time to assemble the lettuce wrap! Grab a head of iceberg lettuce and wash thoroughly, then chop off a decent amount to use in place of a bun. You can use as much or as little lettuce as you like – you simply need enough to cover the patty on both sides.

Place the patty on one side of the lettuce bun and load it up with your desired toppings (in this case, more Black Creek cheddar cheese, bacon, onion slices, and BBQ sauce).

These gluten free BBQ Bacon Burgers with Aged Cheddar make for the perfect summertime meal. Add them to your Memorial Day cookout menu and thank me later!