NY Chopped Cheese

Smashed adobo-seasoned patties chopped with onions and American cheese, built bodega-style with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup.

Time: 45 min | Yield: 1 sandwich | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 2 | Published: 2026-07-24

The chopped cheese is the NY bodega legend: smashed burger patties chopped up with onions and melted American, scooped into a roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. It's a burger and a cheesesteak that had a beautiful child.

Adobo seasoning is the traditional move alongside salt and pepper. Smash the patties hard for surface area and leave them alone for 4-5 minutes, the crust you build there is the flavor of the whole sandwich. Onions go on the patties before the flip so they steam-soften into the beef.

Kill the flame, American cheese on, lid on, then chop it all together (traditional) or keep it patty-style, dealer's choice per the steps. Build order is law: mayo and ketchup on the bread, lettuce and tomato, then the hot chop. Wrap and halve. Bodega complete.

Ingredients

The Sandwich

• Baguette or Amoroso roll
• 1 lb 80/20 ground beef

Adobo seasoning

• ¼ thinly sliced or diced onions
• 3 - 4 slices of tomato
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• Mayo
• Ketchup
• Seeded roll
• Olive oil
• 4 slices American cheese

Directions

1. Pre heat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil on Medium High. Olive oil
2. Shape your burger patties (3-4). 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
3. Salt and pepper both sides. Also it's traditional to use adobo seasoning. Adobo seasoning
4. Throw your patties on the skillet and smash to maximize surface area on the pan.
   You'll know it's right: Smash hard and thin, maximum pan contact is maximum crust.
5. Don't touch for 4-5 minutes. The goal is to build a nice crust on the beef.
   You'll know it's right: Hands off for 4-5 minutes. Peek by lifting an edge, deep brown crust before the flip.
6. Place the onions on the patties and flip each one. ¼ thinly sliced or diced onions
7. Cook for another 2-3 minutes before chopping.
8. Drain excess fat (not in video).
9. Kill the flame and add 3-4 pieces of American cheese. Then put a lid on top to melt the cheese.
   You'll know it's right: Flame off, cheese on, lid on. The melt takes a minute and the cheese should drape, not break.
10. At this point, it is probably traditional to chop the cheese to incorporate in the meat, but you can also remove straight from the pan with the cheese on top.
11. Slice open your bread roll and begin building the sandwich.
12. Here's the order I would build it: Ketchup and Mayo first. Next, add your lettuce and tomato.
    You'll know it's right: Build order: condiments on the bread first, then cold stuff, then the hot chop on top. It tempers the lettuce without wilting it.
13. Then scoop your meat/cheese into the roll.
14. Wrap in parchment paper or foil and slice down the middle. Enjoy!

Troubleshooting

No crust on the beef

Moved the patties early. Smash, then 4-5 untouched minutes on medium-high. The crust is the sandwich.

Greasy roll

Skipped the fat drain. Drain the excess after the chop, the recipe calls it out for a reason.

Cheese in clumps

Chopped before it melted. Lid on, full melt, then chop it through the meat.

Soggy lettuce

Hot meat straight onto the greens... wait, reverse. Condiments and cold layers go on the bread first, meat goes on top. The order in the steps is the order.

Tasted like a plain burger

Skipped the adobo. Adobo is the bodega signature. Salt, pepper, AND adobo.

Nutrition (Half the sandwich): 620 calories, 34g protein, 46g carbs, 33g fat.