A burger bowl? You heard that right! This healthy burger bowl recipe has all the makings of a delicious burger in a filling bowl. Add lettuce, seasoned ground beef, your favorite toppings and a special sauce for an easy and delicious meal that happens to be low carb and gluten free.
When I made these for our family, we all loved them! Such a simple dinner but absolutely delicious. They are easily customizable to everyone's tastes and can be made bigger or smaller depending on how hungry you are. These hamburger bowls worked great for my 2 year old as well, because everything was already cut up into bite-sized pieces for him to enjoy alongside us.
I am really not one to go for "low carb" alternatives, but if something is just delicious like zucchini lasagna, of course I am going to eat it. So just because the traditional bun is gone in this recipe, it's not like you're missing out. While I love a good burger, this burger in a bowl hits the spot in it's own right.
You may have seen restaurants serve these, like the Five Guys burger bowl, and now it's your turn to make it at up exactly the way you like it. Similar to how a poke bowl is a deconstructed sushi bowl, a cheeseburger bowl is just a hamburger in a bowl!
What you'll need
While the ingredients to make a burger bowl can vary as much as your tastes do, here is a classic version complete with "Big Mac" sauce.
Burger Bowl ingredients
- romaine lettuce
- ground beef or crumbled burger patties (you could also use ground turkey)
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- pickles
- tomatoes
- red onion
- shredded cheese
Burger bowl sauce (Big Mac Sauce)
- mayo
- mustard
- relish
- grated onion
- paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- white vinegar
How to prepare
Begin by preparing your ground meat. In a large skillet over medium heat add oil. Once hot, add ground meat, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned and cooked through (7-8 minutes), add garlic powder and onion powder and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
While the meat is browning, combine ingredients for burger sauce. To a small bowl add mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pickle relish, grated onion, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Wash and dry your veggies and then cut them up to desired sizes.
Place down bed of lettuce and top with remaining toppings, including cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, and pickles.
Top with a generous drizzle of your homemade Big Mac sauce and enjoy.
Loaded burger bowl variations
Here are some burger bowl ideas for how to switch up the toppings and make this dish even more fun!
- Mushroom Swiss: Saute mushrooms and add shredded swiss cheese
- Jalapeno Cheddar: Use pickled or fresh jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese
- Bacon and Cheese: Crumbled bacon and whatever cheese you like
- Blue Cheese and caramelized onions: Blue cheese crumbles and caramelized onions (one of my favorite burger toppings)
What to pair with burger bowls
While these are absolutely delicious all on their own, here are a few ideas on what to pair with your burger in a bowl if you want something a little extra!
- french fries
- potato wedges
- sweet potato fries
- a cup of soup (I love the classic diner soup creamy greek lemon and rice)
Can you meal prep this recipe?
You totally can! Since this is essentially a burger salad, it's super easy to meal prep! Just cook up and season your meat ahead of time and slice all of the toppings. You can either keep all of the elements separate or place them into serving size containers so they are ready to enjoy throughout the week.
Burger Bowl with Homemade Big Mac Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ lb. ground beef
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ cup pickles
- ½ cup tomatoes chopped
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
Big Mac Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 tbsp. relish sweet or dill
- 1 tbsp. grated onion
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tbsp. white vinegar
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your ground meat. In a large skillet over medium heat add oil. Once hot, add ground meat, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned and cooked through (7-8 minutes), add garlic powder and onion powder and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- While the meat is browning, combine ingredients for burger sauce. To a small bowl add mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pickle relish, grated onion, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Wash and dry your veggies and then cut them up to desired sizes.
- Place down bed of lettuce and top with remaining toppings, including cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, and pickles.
- Top with a generous drizzle of your homemade Big Mac sauce and enjoy.
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