Easy Burger Bowl Recipe (2024)

Posted: Apr 12, 2013 · Updated: Aug 10, 2023 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

If you're looking for a healthier alternative to your typical cheeseburger, then you need to try this delicious and easy-to-make burger bowl. With all the classic cheeseburger ingredients but without the bun, this burger bowl is perfect for those who are watching their carb intake or just looking for a new way to enjoy their favorite burger.

What is it?

A burger bowl combines all the goodness of a cheeseburger without the fuss of the bun. Think taco salad, but cheeseburger-inspired. It’s everything you could want in a burger but in salad form: flavorful ground beef, pickles, creamy special sauce, cheese and even bacon.

Why this recipe works

These loaded burger bowls are super flavorful and make an easy weeknight dinner. There’s a lot of pay-off for very little effort since the only thing you need to cook is the ground beef.

It’s everything you love in a burger without the fuss (or refined grains) of a bun.

Key Ingredients

Burger bowl ingredients are straightforward and simple. You'll need to assemble everything you would for a cheeseburger - except the bun.

Ground beef is central to any burger bowl recipe. For seasoning, add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Lettuce is the foundation of the burger bowl. Bibb lettuce works best since it has a neutral flavor and tender, cup-shaped leaves that hold onto all those delicious toppings.
Tomatoes are essential in just about any burger recipe. Cherry or grape are perfect for this recipe since they’re small. That means you can get a forkful in every bite.
Cheese is a great addition. Shredded cheddar cheese is popular, but blue cheese is a good option too.
Pickles are a classic addition to burgers. Sour pickles spiked with plenty of garlic and dill taste delicious in this recipe, but so do bread and butter pickles if you want a little sweetness.
Bacon is
Homemade burger sauce, which typically includes mayonnaise, ketchup, chili sauce, and pickle juice, is a popular way to dress the bowls.

Where to Find American-Raised Grass-fed Beef

Wild Pastures delivers grass-fed and pasture-raised straight to your door. They have good prices and work exclusively with American farmers practicing regenerative agriculture.

Check it out here

Recipe Tips

Beyond seasoning and cooking the ground beef, there's very little work to the recipe. Still, there are a few tips you'll want to keep in mind.

Add loads of seasoning to the ground beef. Flavorful ground beef is the key to making this recipe extra delicious. Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, and plenty of black pepper make it stand out.
Any lettuce will do, but Bibb lettuce works particularly well because it is tender, has a mild flavor, and its cup-shaped leaves hold onto all the toppings.
Soak your thinly sliced red onions in apple cider vinegar for more flavor. It gives them a delicious acidic note that brings balance to the bowls.
Cherry tomatoes work better than tomato slices or wedges. They’re bite-sized and easy to mix in the burger bowl.
Let the ground beef cool a little before adding it to the remaining ingredients, or your lettuce will wilt, and your vegetables will soften.

Rate this Recipe

4.8 from 8 votes

4 servings

Burger Bowl Recipe

These easy burger bowls are your solution to a simple, nourishing weeknight dinner. They’re less heavy than burgers, but with everything you could want in a burger (except the bun): dill pickles, flavorful ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

Ingredients

For the Ground Beef

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Special Sauce

½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

For the Burger Toppings

1 head Bibb lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 sour pickle sliced cross-wise
8 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
½ medium red onion sliced thin
4 slices bacon crisped

Equipment

10-inch skillet
small bowl

Instructions

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a wide skillet. Brown the ground beef in the olive oil, and ten stir in the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes further until fully seasoned and well-browned.
Turn off the heat, and let the meat cool to room temperature.
While the ground beef cools, whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, hot sauce and vinegar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Arrange the salads, including lettuce, cheese, pickle slices, cherry tomatoes, red onion and ground beef on each plate. Drizzle with burger sauce or ranch dressing and serve immediately.

Rate this recipe!If you loved this recipe, give it a rating. Let us know what works, what didn't and whether you made any adjustments that can help other cooks.

Variations and Substitutions

Swap ground bison for the beef. It works as well as ground beef, but you may need to use less Worcestershire sauce since bison tends to be more flavorful than beef.

Try ground turkey instead of ground beef. Skip the Worcestershire sauce, and add smoked paprika and a little chipotle pepper instead.

Instead of burger sauce, swap in some homemade kefir ranch dressing. It’s a delicious alternative and a great way to use extra milk kefir.

Skip the cheese for a dairy-free version, but consider adding a few spoonfuls of nutritional yeast to the beef as it cooks. Nutritional yeast is loaded with B vitamins and has a cheesy, savory flavor.

Substitute bacon grease for the olive oil when you brown the ground beef. It will give the meat a delicious, smoky quality.

Other Grass-fed Beef Recipes You'll Love

Beef and Bacon Stew
Beef and Stout Pie
Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
Sous Vide Flank Steak

Common Questions

How long does it keep?

The cooked ground beef will keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store all individual items, including toppings, separately to keep them fresh.

Love this? Try these next.

Bison Chili
Hearty Mushroom Stew
Italian Sausages Braised in Tomato Sauce
Quick Pho

Reader Interactions

Comments

Jen H in KS says
August 31, 2013 at 7:10 pm

This is one of our family's favorite fast-and-easy summer suppers, too! Just to add to the kid fun factor, our name for it is "exploded burger bowls." 🙂
Reply
- Brushjl says
  July 04, 2023 at 3:31 pm
  
  Kind of an odd recipe for nourished kitchen, not really so healthy. We skipped the burger sauce for regular dressing we had on hand. Just didn't have the wow factor I expect from nourished kitchen. The recipe also was a bit messy, looks like it needs another edit
Leanne says
April 19, 2013 at 4:06 am

Fantastic idea - it's a deconstructed bunless burger!
I added avocado and hard boiled eggs, and used steamed curly kale for the greens.
Also fried brown onions in with the beef.
So easy, so yum.
Reply
Aubergine says
April 14, 2013 at 10:26 pm

What a brilliant, simple, fun idea. This is so up my alley! I can't wait to try it. The more I get to know this site, the more I absolutely love it. Thank you for celebrating the joys of REAL food 🙂
Reply
Mands says
April 14, 2013 at 9:13 am

Yummmm. I love my bunless burgers and this is a great variation. Will be adding this to my menu
Reply
Suzanne Clark says
April 12, 2013 at 9:53 pm

I often add cumin, and sometimes onion to the ground beef as it is cooking and make a taco salad. I can't do cheeses because I am allergic, but that would be wornderful too. Bell pepper and avacado also give it a Mexican feel.
Reply
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says
April 12, 2013 at 7:59 pm
What an absolutely WONDERFUL idea, Jenny! Thanks so much for sharing! I can't wait to surprise my family with this! Blessings, Kelly
Reply
Brittney says
April 12, 2013 at 7:57 pm

What a great salad idea! Very similar to our taco salads. This will be a nice theme change! I think a homemade thousand island would be a tasty dressing for this(one of our favorite burger toppings). Made with the lacto fermented ketchup and soured pickles it would be extra tasty! Thanks for this recipe!
Reply
Alexandra @ Creative Simple Life says
April 12, 2013 at 7:33 pm

I love this idea! It's especially great because I never have hamburger buns lying around (and it's hard to find ones that I feel good about eating anyway). Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
April 12, 2013 at 5:59 pm
This sounds like a great summer supper, especially on CSA pick up day, as I can have the meat ready to go when we get back with the farm share.
Thank you!
Reply