Certain cooking methods seem like they were made for cooking certain foods. While easy lasagna recipes and easy meatloaf recipes are best cooked in the oven, there’s no question that burgers are yummiest eaten hot off the grill! There’s no better emblem of summer than a juicy, char-grilled burger, and they’re a great excuse to get outside and grill with your family.

Don’t get bored eating the same old burger over and over again this summer. Classic ketchup and mustard burgers are delicious, but there are so many other ways to kick up your burgers. Here’s some inspiration to get you started:

Patty Options

No ground beef? No problem. Form patties out of ground turkey, ground chicken, mashed chickpeas, chopped veggies or black beans. Or, grill a portobello mushroom cap for a hearty meat substitute.

Topping Options

Skip the ketchup and mustard route and try other flavorful topping options. Pesto, barbecue sauce, flavored mayonnaise and creamy salad dressings can all make your burgers a little more interesting. In addition to lettuce and tomato, try topping your patties with salsa, sautéed veggies, onion rings and grilled fruit.

Bun Options

There’s no need to cancel burger night if you’re out of traditional hamburger buns. Pretzel rolls, Hawaiian rolls and crusty breads like sourdough or French baguettes can make tasty substitutes. And if you only have hot dog buns in your pantry, simply form your patties into hot dog shapes instead!

The whole family will love these Aloha Barbecue Sliders. They’re classic beef burgers with delicious twists of sweet slices of pineapple and zippy barbecue sauce.

Aloha Barbecue Sliders

Total Time: 30 min

Serves: 6

• PAM® Grilling Spray
• 1½ pounds ground chuck beef (80% lean)
• 2/3 cup Hunt’s® Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon reduced sodium Montreal steak seasoning
• 1 package Hawaiian dinner rolls (in tray)
• 3 slices Swiss cheese, cut into quarters
• 1 8 oz. can pineapple slices, drained and cut into thirds
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

Spray the cold grate of a gas grill with grilling spray. Preheat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, combine beef, 1/3 cup barbecue sauce and steak seasoning in a large bowl. Shape mixture into 12 small patties.

Grill patties 3 to 4 patties on each side or until they’re cooked through (a meat thermometer should read 160°F). Meanwhile, remove the attached rolls from the package; do NOT separate. Cut in half horizontally. Spray cut sides with cooking spray; toast on grill.

Spread remaining 1/3 cup barbecue sauce on rolls; separate rolls. Place patties on the bottom halves of rolls; top with cheese, pineapple and red onion. Close with tops of grills.

Tip: You can also grill the pineapple slices before cutting into thirds for more grilled flavor.

 Meredith K. writes on behalf of Hunt’s®. For grilling and tomato recipes perfect for summer, visit www.hunts.com.