USA · Salads
Burger Bowl
A cheeseburger with the bun swapped for a bed of crisp lettuce: seasoned ground beef with the cheddar melted right in, piled over romaine with tomato, red onion, and pickles, then drizzled with a tangy special sauce.
Ingredients
- ground beef300 g
- romaine lettuce200 g
- cheddar60 g
- dill pickles50 g
- tomato1 pcs
- red onion50 g
- mayonnaise45 g
- ketchup20 g
- yellow mustard10 g
- pickle relish15 g
- paprika3 g
- black pepper2 g
Method
- 1Make the special sauce first so the flavours meld: stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle relish, and a good pinch of the paprika. Loosen with a teaspoon of pickle brine if you have it, and set aside.
- 2Season the ground beef with the remaining paprika, black pepper, and salt. Don't overwork it — mix just until the seasoning is distributed.
- 3Heat a skillet over medium-high until hot. Add the beef and break it into craggy pieces, then leave it undisturbed for a minute or two so it browns rather than steams.
- 4Keep cooking, breaking it up, until the beef is cooked through and deeply browned with crisp edges — those browned bits are where the burger flavour lives. Drain off excess fat if there's a lot.
- 5While the beef is still hot in the pan, scatter the shredded cheddar over it and let it melt into the meat off the heat. This is the shortcut that makes it taste like a cheeseburger, not just seasoned beef.
- 6Build the bowls: a base of chopped romaine, then the cheesy beef, diced tomato, finely sliced red onion, and diced pickles arranged over the top.
- 7Drizzle generously with the special sauce and serve right away, while the beef is warm against the cool, crisp lettuce. Toss at the table if you like.