These easy burger bowls are filled with golden, crispy pieces of ground beef and chopped vegetables. The creamy house sauce drizzled on top is absolutely fantastic!
This easy weeknight dinner recipe is the most popular dinner my family has made in months! My kids have been requesting that this meal be included in our weekly menu plan. Each bowl is customizable and the taste is truly delicious.
Why we love this easy meal
Well, first of all, why are bowl recipes so fun to make and eat?? This might be one of my favorite crockpot recipes to date.
- You can chop the ball ingredients in advance. And keep refrigerated.
- Same goes for the special sauce! Mix it a few days in advance. But be careful. If you do this, you run the risk of running out of ingredients for all sorts of dipping and drizzling long before your burger bowl is ready. It’s really delicious.
- Even if you don’t have time to prepare ingredients in advance This meal comes together so quickly. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner!
- This is the perfect meal Everyone can create their own bowls and serve them when they need a dinner they can customize to their liking.
- The taste is fantastic. It’s like a deconstructed burger (no bun, but probably with fries) all chopped up and thrown together, and oh my, it’s so good.
reference: These are white dishes {aff. link} In the photo. I use them all the time (8 years going strong) for bowl dinners like these and for topping ingredients for my own style meals.
main ingredients
There are several cross-seasonings that are used on both beef and sauces. Check out all the details below. ⬇️
- mayonnaise: This is used in the creamy foundation of our special house sauce. Experiment by adding Greek yogurt or sour cream to some of the mayonnaise.
- ketchup:
- mustard: Use yellow mustard or Dijon mustard, whichever you prefer.
- Pickle Juice Brine: Take the pickles straight from the jar. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, try adding red wine or apple cider vinegar.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Garlic Powder: It is used in both sauces and seasoning beef.
- paprika: It is also used in sauces and seasoning beef. You can use sweet or smoked paprika.
- Onion powder: Used to season beef. Do not use onion salt. Otherwise it will be too salty.
- Ground beef: I prefer to use lean ground beef. After cooking, remove excess fat and cook. Cook the beef for a few minutes on each side, without stirring. It’s all about developing those crunchy brown bits that are so delicious.
For publication:
- Chopped Lettuce: I like romaine, but you could also use iceberg, green lettuce, or spinach.
- Pickled: Use dill pickles or sweet pickles, whatever you like. You can use hamburger pickle chips or slice the pickles whole.
- chopped tomatoes
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: You can easily change the type of cheese to your liking.
- Sliced Onion: These burger balls are really delicious served with some simple pickled or caramelized onions. To serve in a bowl with sliced raw onions, soak the onion slices in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes to release the pungency of the onions (drain and pat before using).
- chopped avocado
optional: These burger balls are really delicious served with french fries or tater tots. For a super easy option, pick up your favorite brand from the frozen food aisle, pop it in the oven or air fryer, and prepare the rest of your meal while it cooks. Alexia brand frozen fries are our favorite (especially their sweet potato waffle fries).
Variation Ideas + Delivery Methods
This is a recipe that is very adaptable to many variations.
- Use different types of meat Instead of ground beef, such as ground turkey, ground chicken, or vegan ground beef.
- Break the meat into smaller pieces. Rather than leaving it in larger chunks.
- Change the bowl material What you have or what you prefer. Add other chopped ingredients and remove any ingredients you don’t want!
- Add other sauces, Ranch dressing, cilantro lime dressing, etc.
We serve this meal as a cook-your-own dinner. Each bowl has a slightly different shape. I fill everything under the sun. Because the colorful chaos and ridiculously good taste makes me so happy.
Huge family favorite
Can we have a moment of silence while tasting that special house sauce? This is the source of my dreams. Creamy, savory, smoky. It is absolute perfection.
It’s an incredibly delicious drizzle on a burger bowl salad, and it’s also really good with fries or tater tots.
➡️ We also realized that Chik-fil-a type chicken nuggets (like the Bare or Kirkland brands from Costco) served with them are dangerously delicious. Ermagersh. Yum.
I’m so glad I have this easy weeknight dinner in my meal planning arsenal. me really Hope you like it too!
Burger bowl with special house sauce
Special House Sauce:
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Ketchup or barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon Yellow or Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Pickle juice brine in pickle jar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper (optional, spicy sauce optional)
Bowl Material:
- 4 to 6 cup Chopped or shredded lettuce
- 1 to 2 cup Thinly sliced or chopped pickles
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 to 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Thinly sliced red onion (or caramelized or pickled onion – see notes)
- 1 cup chopped avocado
- optional: French fries or tater tots (from the frozen aisle and cooked in an air fryer or oven)
beef:
- 1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 to 1 ½ pound lean ground beef
Prevent your screen from going dark
For sources, Combine all sauce ingredients well and mix until creamy. The sauce can be made a few days ahead and refrigerated.
As for the bowl material, Prepare all bowl ingredients, chop and set aside (refrigerate if preparing in advance). If you’re cooking French fries, start cooking them in the oven or air fryer according to package directions.
For beef, Place beef in medium bowl. Sprinkle in the seasoning and mix until evenly combined. Pat the beef mixture into thick patties, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick.
Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. If the ground beef is too lean, add a little olive oil to the pan.
Add the beef patties to the hot skillet and cook until well browned, 1 to 2 minutes (we want the beef to have a nice, crispy exterior).
Carefully flip and cook on the other side for 1 more minute. Once brown on both sides, divide the meat into 1-inch pieces. That’s a little more than cooking and breaking down ground beef for recipes like tacos. Continue cooking until no longer pink. Drain off excess grease.
Prepare the beef in a bowl (or plate) and serve with the chopped bowl ingredients and top with the special house sauce.
Pickled: Use dill pickles or sweet pickles, whatever you like. You can use hamburger pickle chips or slice the pickles whole.
French Fries: We love Alexia brand french fries. Sweet potato waffle fries are our favorite. French fries or tater tots are completely optional. It’s delicious even without the burger balls.
clothing material: 1 Serving (French Fries Not Included), calorie: 362calorie, carbohydrate: 13g, protein: 25g, province: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 80mg, sodium: 1356mg, fiber: 4g, sugar: 6g
Recipe Source: From Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired after reader Connie H. emailed me about how to perfect her burger bowl recipe)
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