This burger bowl recipe is a quick and healthy meal. It’s a delicious, burger-flavored meal prep loaded in a bowl with homemade special sauce. Burger bowls, or burger salads, are a quick, healthy meal. They are a delicious mix of all the flavors of a burger with fresh vegetables, fries, and your favorite burger toppings.
Add a homemade special sauce, and that’s the perfect burger bowl recipe you can enjoy as a meal, prepared within 50 minutes. Who doesn’t love burgers? But healthy burgers are nowadays on demand. And burger bowls are also healthy since they can be customized to your preferred ingredients.
Want to try this out? Let’s get started!
Why Are Burger Bowls Over Lettuce Wrapped Burgers?
There are many reasons to love these burger bowls much more than lettuce-wrapped burgers or bun burgers. Some of them are:
- Burger bowls make dinner or lunch super easy because they are easy to make. Also, if you have picky eaters in your household, it’s a must-win because burger bowls are customizable.
- The “burger sauce” is a healthier twist because it’s homemade. Also made with Greek yogurt for an extra boost of protein and less fat. Plus it’s packed with veggies while still hitting those burger cravings.
- This is an ideal meal for meal prep. Just start with some greens, add your choice of ground meat, and top it off with whatever you’re craving.
How to Make Burger Bowls
These burger bowls come together within a few easy steps and some ingredients are always present at your service. So, you can easily make this American cuisine in 50 minutes with these easy steps.
Recipe Preview
Prep Time | Cooking Time | Total Time | Course | Cuisine |
20 minutes | 30 minutes | 50 minutes | Dinner, Lunch | American |
Equipment
- Large Bowls
- A Medium Skillet
- Baking Sheets
- Small Bowl
- A Kitchen Whisk
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Burger Meat
- 1 Pound Ground Beef: You can use any ground meat, like chicken or turkey. You can also use beans to make a protein-rich burger bowl.
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder: To taste
- ½ tsp Onion Powder: To taste
- ½ tsp Salt: To taste
- ½ tsp Pepper: To taste
- 4 Cups Lettuce: Use romaine in a burger bowl or salad. It adds a fresh crunch in every bite. But you can use other greens too.
Bowl Ingredients
- 1 Cup Grape Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are best for this dish. You can use cherry tomatoes as well.
- 1 Cup Dill Pickles: You can use store-bought or make your own at home.
- ½ Cup Red Onion: Any type of onion works, but red onion gives color to your burger bowl.
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded or cubed.
- ½ Cup bacon: Cooked and chopped
- 1 Cucumber: Plays a big role in adding freshness to the bowl. Seed it and slice it for the dish.
- 4 Cups French Fries: Homemade or store-bought, your call.
- Special Sauce: The homemade Big Mac sauce we are going to make in this recipe.
- Sesame Seeds: For garnish
French Fries
- 2 Russet Potatoes: For a burger bowl, use homemade fries. Russet potatoes are one of the best options.
- Avocado Oil Spray: It makes the French fries extra crispy and delicious.
- Salt: To taste
Special Sauce
- ¼ Cup Plain Low-Fat Greek Yogurt: It gives richness to the sauce and makes it healthy as well.
- ¼ Cup Naturally Sweetened Ketchup: Use ketchup made with honey, it’s healthy and tasty at the same time.
- 2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard: We will use the yellow one for color, but you can sub Dijon if you want a different vibe.
- 2 tsp Mayonnaise: To add creaminess to the sauce.
- 1 Tbsp Pickle Juice: You can consider this one a secret ingredient of this sauce.
- ½ Tbsp Maple Syrup: This one is optional. For sweetness, ketchup is enough but maple syrup will definitely take it to another notch.
- Salt: To taste
- Garlic Powder: A pinch
- Onion Powder: A pinch
- Paprika: A pinch
Instructions
Make the French Fries
Step 1: Prepare the Potatoes
Take the russet potatoes, clean and rinse them properly. Now peel them and slice them into fries. Now soak them in cold water for 20 minutes, then dry them off.
Step 2: Bake the Fries
Take a baking dish. Lay in the parchment paper. Spread the sliced potatoes all over the tray. Then spray them with cooking oil properly. Then add seasonings like salt. Bake the fries for 20 minutes at 450°F and flip them for about a 10-minute break. Now your fries are ready.
Prepare the Beef
Step 3: Brown the Beef
Take a medium skillet and heat it over medium-high heat; add oil and ground beef. Now cook the beef for 5 to 7 minutes until it is browned and no pinkness is left.
Step 4: Season the Beef
Time to add the seasonings. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix them properly and stir them for a while. When the beef is ready, set it aside and start assembling the bowl.
Make the Sauce Mix
Step 5: Mix the Ingredients
Take a bowl and mix all the sauce ingredients. Add salt. Pepper, garlic powder, etc., and taste to see if any adjustments are needed. Then rest for a while to cool down the sauce.
Assemble the Vegetables
Step 6: Prepare the Veggies
Clean and rinse all the veggies properly, and cut them into bite-sized or your preferred size. Then, start with lettuce.
Step 7: Assemble the Bowl
Lay the lettuce in each bowl and then add the other veggies and ingredients as toppings. Over the lettuce, add beef, then French fries, cheese, tomatoes, pickles, bacon, onion etc.
Step 8: Serve and Enjoy
Drizzle the sauce over everything properly, and enjoy your fresh, healthy burger bowl.
Steps | Ingredients | Serve | Calories |
8 | 34 | 1 | 468 kcal |
Nutritional Facts
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Protein: 35g
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 86mg
- Sodium: 521mg
- Potassium: 1644 mg
- Fiber: 9g
- Sugar: 9g
- Vitamin A: 10077IU
- Vitamin C: 35mg
- Calcium: 219 mg
- Iron: 6mg
Some Cooking Tips for Burger Bowls
Here are some quick cooking tips to keep in mind while making burger bowls.
- If you’re planning on burger patties, you can easily melt sliced or shredded cheese on top, just like a regular burger.
- Making patties is a good option if not everyone wants a burger bowl. You can serve both traditional burgers and bowls at the same time.
- If you’re crumbling the beef, make sure to drain off any excess fat. Or you can use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan before adding it to the bowls.
- Be careful not to overcook your beef! No one likes dry, tough hamburger meat.
- Not a fan of ground beef? You can easily swap it out for ground turkey.
Things You Can Change About Burger Bowls
Besides some topping ideas, you can change your burger bowl ingredients to make variations. It will still be a burger bowl but of your choice. Such as:
- If you’re thinking of not changing fries, you have substitute options like frozen fries, tater, or hashbrowns.
- Want to level up the nutrient game, add sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. If you want to replace potatoes completely, you can use them in a pita, wrap, or even pasta.
- If you’re a vegetarian, you can replace meat with beans, mushrooms, or crispy chickpeas.
- And for more beef options, you can use turkey, chicken, bacon, or even shredded chicken as well.
A Few More Topping Ideas for Homemade Burger Bowls Are:
- Grilled vegetables such as zucchini, onions and peppers,
- Creamy avocado
- Shredded carrots
- Shredded cabbage
- Fresh or pickled hot peppers like jalapenos
- Mushrooms
- A fried egg
- Fresh herbs like dill or parsley
- Sliced green onions
How to Make Crispy Fries at Home
French fries are an amazing ingredient of this salad bowl. They are crisp and flavorful. But how can you make crispy French fries at home?
Very simple. Just soak them in water for 15 to 20 minutes before frying them. It’s an extra step but trust me, it’s worth the hassle. Following this step will surely make your fries crispy and crunchy. And if you want to make fries more tasty, you can try this Hello Fresh fry seasoning as well.
Storing Recommendations
What to do with the leftovers? Well, this dish is not something you can freeze traditionally. It’s best to store all the ingredients individually if possible. Because together they won’t last longer.
If you want to make a burger bowl ahead of time, you can do this 4 days in advance. Cut all the vegetables you’re going to use and prepare the sauce. Then keep them in an airtight box and store them in the freezer. When you feel like having the burger bowl, just take them out of the freezer, make the bowl, and enjoy your dish. But it’s different for fries and beef.
Fries: It’s good to keep the potato slices in the freezer. When you want to fry them, just remove them from the fridge and fry them. You can air fry them as well. Then add them to the bowl.
Beef: To have the best-seasoned beef, it’s best to cook the beef before you make the bowl. But if you don’t get time, then yeah you can prepare the beef ahead of time as well. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight box. Then gently reheat the cooked beef in a skillet over medium-low heat until it’s warm thoroughly.
FAQs
1. Can I Use Turkey or Plant-based Meat?
Definitely! Burger bowls are versatile. You can swap the ingredients. Use chicken, turkey, or even plant-based meat instead of traditional beef.
2. Are There Any Other Sauces I Can Use In This Bowl?
If you want to try different sauces, then there are some options for you. You can use Taco Bell chipotle sauce for a taco-flavored burger bowl. Or if you want to experiment, then try these out.
3. How to Eat Healthy Burgers?
Burger bowl is a safer burger option to satiate your burger cravings. It is safer because you can customize it just the way you want. To make the bowl healthy, use only healthy ingredients. Then, make your healthy burger bowl.
4. How Many Calories Are in a Burger Bowl?
It actually depends! Because burger bowls are versatile, the ingredients vary from person to person. But in this recipe, the bowl carries 468 kcal.
5. Can I Cut The Fries In Different Shapes?
Absolutely! You can cut your french fries in various shapes like shoestring, waffles, crinkle or curly. Try whatever shape you like. You can even use wedges instead to change the flavor game.
Final Words
In conclusion, burger bowl recipes are tasty, customizable, and healthier versions of the traditional burger. By swapping the bun for fresh vegetables and adding crispy fries, you can get all the flavors you love. That too in a balanced way.
This dish, with many toppings and a special homemade sauce, is perfect for a quick, satisfying meal. It can be tailored to personal tastes. Whether you’re prepping a meal or making an easy dinner, try a burger bowl. It’s a great, guilt-free way to satisfy your burger craving!
Hi, I’m Maisha and I am all about food! I used to be a nutritionist but now I get to have fun creating and sharing delicious and healthy recipes online. I love chatting about food and making the easiest recipes possible so that you can satisfy all of your sudden cravings.
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