Last updated on January 28th, 2024 at 06:47 pm

These burger bowls with special sauce contain all your favorite burger toppings on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. They are low carb, dairy free and Whole 30 compliant.

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Burger Bowls with Special Sauce

Name: Burger Bowls with Special Sauce
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 6 strips bacon; 1 1/2 heads romaine lettuce; 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes; 1/2 cup red onion; 1 avocado; 1 cup pickle chips; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup ketchup; 1/4 cup relish; 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; sesame seeds (optional)

I am not sure what took me so long to make burger bowls, but now that I have, they will be on the regular dinner rotation in my house!

I knew this recipe was going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this good! Juicy and flavorful seasoned ground beef and all of your favorite burger toppings, such as bacon, tomato, red onion and avocado are piled high atop a bed of fresh romaine lettuce.

The best part? The special sauce of course! Just like sauce you get atop burgers at your favorite burger joint, but healthier because it is homemade and made with minimal ingredients.

A convenient meal to make in summer or winter, as it requires no grill; it is a great way to get that burger fix in the colder months!

This recipe fits many diet types, and can easily be adapted to fit more. Everyone in the family will love this meal and will be asking for more!

What is in these burger bowls

Seasoned ground beef: Ground beef is seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and is browned in a skillet.

Romaine Lettuce: Shredded romaine lettuce is the base for this burger bowl.

Bacon: We’ll cook the bacon in the skillet before browning the meat, which will add some extra flavor to the ground beef.

Pickles: Bread and butter, sweet dill or whatever sliced pickle you love to top your burgers with.

Cherry tomatoes

Red onion: Thinly sliced red onion for a punch. For less intense onion flavor, soak the raw sliced onions in water for 10 minutes before adding to the burger bowls.

Avocado

Homemade special sauce: The sauce is so easy to make and consists of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, white vinegar and salt and pepper.

Sesame seeds: Optional but a great garnish to mimic the sesame seeds on top of a burger bun.

Other Topping Ideas

Sautéed onions: Finely dice 1/2 of a yellow onion and sauté in 1 tbsp oil over medium-low heat until caramelized and golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes. Like the sautéed onions from In-N-Out!

Cheese: Chop up your favorite slice or use shredded sharp cheddar cheese and you have cheeseburger bowls!

Fries: Add regular potato or sweet potato fries for an extra satiating meal.

Jalapeños: Add raw or pickled jalapeños for a nice kick of heat.

What You’ll Need

Large skillet
Wooden spoon
Small mixing bowl (for the sauce)
Knife and cutting board
Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions

Special sauce: Prep the sauce first. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, white vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

Veggies: Prepare the veggies. Shred the lettuce, thinly slice red onion, slice avocado and cut cherry tomatoes in half.

Bacon: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Crumble or chop bacon.

Ground beef: To the skillet, add ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the meat in the seasoning. Crumble with wooden spoon and cook until browned through.

Assemble: Start with a bed of shredded romaine lettuce. Add 1/4 of the ground beef to each bowl. Divide the remaining toppings evenly amongst the bowls. Drizzle with a generous amount of special sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Tips

Prep the special sauce and vegetables first so when the ground beef is done cooking, all you have to do is assemble the bowls.
Remove ground beef from the heat as soon as there is no more pink to avoid overcooking and drying out the meat.
If there is excess fat from the ground beef, drain on paper towel or use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan.
This recipe is great to feed the family, but is also great for meal prep! Assemble lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pickles and bacon. Store meat and special sauce in separate containers. Heat ground beef in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, add to burger bowl along with avocado and top with special sauce.

Substitutions

Ground beef: If you do not wish to use ground beef, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken.
Bacon: You can use turkey bacon in place of the regular bacon.
Vegetarian: Use a plant-based ‘meat’ crumble such as this one by Gardein or this one by Beyond Meat and use veggie bacon or omit.
Whole30: Use ketchup and bacon with no sugar added and avocado oil mayonnaise.
Paleo: Use ketchup and bacon with no sugar added and avocado oil mayonnaise.

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