Say Goodbye To Traditional Burgers — Swap The Buns For This Iowa-Style Dish

No matter which burger recipe you try for your next cookout, a bun is usually a crucial factor in its assembly. Of course, there are always exceptions. And an Iowa-style chili cheeseburger swaps the buns for cinnamon rolls! While this may sound outlandish, sweet and savory combinations are famously applied to sandwiches. Fast food chains like McDonald's make savory breakfast sandwiches and swap the bread for sweet pancakes for its McGriddle sandwiches, for example.

Not only is there a sweet bun swap, but the Iowa-style chili cheeseburger is a one-dish burger casserole that's easy to assemble and feeds a crowd. According to Iowa natives, the burger casserole was inspired by school lunches across the state that served bowls of cheesy chili and a cinnamon roll for dessert. Nostalgic Iowans remember dunking their cinnamon rolls in the chili, thus spawning the idea for a chili cheeseburger casserole.

This YouTube video from @Kell'sKitchen demonstrates how the casserole comes together in a matter of minutes. You start by placing 8 quarter-pound fresh ground beef patties evenly on the bottom of a baking dish, topping it off with two cans of chili, diced raw onions, two cups of cheddar cheese, crispy onions, and another cup or two of a cheese blend of your choice. Finally, the piece de resistance is topping the casserole off with canned cinnamon rolls, one for each patty on the bottom. Then you'll bake the casserole at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes covered with tin foil and another 20 minutes uncovered.

A burger casserole might be the most creative way to use canned cinnamon rolls. A sweet, savory, and spiced burger is the Iowa treat that will convince you the cinnamon roll burger duo actually works. Plus, the recipe is a veritable dump-it one-dish dinner that uses convenient canned and packaged ingredients for the utmost convenience. While the video uses fresh burger patties, you could even swap them for your favorite brand of frozen patties. The cans of chili you use are also a big factor for flavor. Check out our favorite canned chili brands here. Whether or not to put beans in chili is a source of controversy for many. But you can split the difference by pouring a can of meat chili over half of the burgers and a can of bean and meat chili over the other half.

If raw white onions are too strong, you can always replace them with milder chopped green onions. If you want more spice than just the cinnamon, try adding diced jalapeños or a can of diced green chilies to the layer of white or green onions. If you want to bring out even more sweetness for the cinnamon rolls, you can brush them with a butter maple glaze. You can also add more sweetness with the addition of canned corn; blend it in with the chili before layering on the cheese and onions.