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What’s better than waiting in the drive-thru line? A bacon cheeseburger bowl!
This burger bowl will hit every craving. It’s everything you love about a classic burger, just without the bun. It’s loaded with cheesy seasoned hamburger meat, crisp lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, tangy pickled relish, and a drizzle of creamy homemade burger sauce. Its about to be your weeknight obsession for busy weeknights.
A perfect mix of comfort food with a lighter twist! It’s easy to customize and super simple to whip up for meal prepping meals throughout the week. Simple, flavorful, and ridiculously crave-worthy, this burger bowl is about to be on repeat all season.
Looking for more weeknight dinner ideas? Check these out!
Ingredients for the Cheeseburger Bowl
Bowl Components
- Bacon
- Hamburger
- Onion
- Cheddar cheese
- Romaine lettuce
- Pickles
- Pickled onions
- Cherry tomatoes
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
For the burger sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Dijon mustard
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Extras: frozen waffle fries
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making a Burger Bowl
Cook bacon and waffle fries in oven.
Start by preheating your oven to cook the bacon and fries.
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and lay your strips of bacon in a single layer on the foil. Place in the preheated oven to bake for 15-20 minutes until they are nice a crispy.
Cook fries according to the package instructions. Both the bacon and fries will cook around the same temperature – 400ºF- so it’s a time saver to cook them together.
Note: We can’t enjoy our burger without fries, so we added some waffle fries to our bowl. Feel free to swap fries for roasted potatoes – cube and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cook meat on stovetop.
While your bacon and fries are cooking, grab out your skillet to cook your cheesy meat mixture.
Start by sauté onions over medium heat until they are soft. Add in the ground hamburger meat to the center of the skillet and break it apart with a spatula. Cook until your meat is browned all the way through.
We are making cheese burger bowls, so we have to add some cheddar cheese to the mix. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the meat mixture and stir until melted.
Make pickled relish.
Personal opinion: a hamburger always has to have pickles! So we made a pickled relish with pickled onion and dill pickles to top on the pizza. It adds a delicious tanginess to the bowl.
Whisk together burger sauce.
The burger sauce is like the salad dressing for this bowl. Burger sauce is creamy sauce that uses a base of mayonnaise. It’s slightly sweet and tangy, which helps to tie everything together.
Assemble bacon cheeseburger bowl.
Start with a small bed of lettuce, top with cheesy meat mixture, relish, cherry tomatoes, bacon pieces, a drizzle of burger sauce and fries!
Tips for Building a Flavor-Packed Cheeseburger Bowl
Season meat! This is the key to a flavorful cheeseburger bowl. So be sure to season the meat while you cook it with onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper to season.
Add a pickled relish. We made a relish out of picked onions and pickles to add some tanginess to the really make it taste like a cheeseburger with pickles.
Add layers to your bowl! Mixing textures and flavors can elevate your bowl. In this cheese burger bowl, we didn’t hold back on the add-ins because all the layers matter! A bed of lettuce for a crunch, flavorful seasoned cheesy meat, topped with fresh cherry tomatoes and a burger sauce. It’s so tasty, you may mistake it for your favorite fast food restaurant burger.
Quick Swaps: Chicken or Turkey for Beef
Maybe you’re wanting to cook with a leaner meat or just prefer chicken over beef? You can easily swap the hamburger meat with chicken or turkey. There will be some differences in flavor and texture, but it will still taste delicious.
What’s the easiest way to cook bacon? In the Oven!
One of the our favorite kitchen hacks is cooking bacon in the oven! The oven cooks the bacon evenly and creates a chewy and slightly crispy texture.
And the best part is there’s less mess! You don’t have to worry about grease splatter and it is simpler to clean.
Storing and Reheating Your Cheeseburger Bowl
Store each bowl components separately in airtight containers. When you’re ready to make your bowl, reheat the meats in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds until warm. Layer all your fresh veggies and top with meat and a drizzle of burger sauce.
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Bacon Cheese Burger Bowl
Description
Cheesy seasoned hamburger meat, crisp lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, tangy pickled relish, and a drizzle of creamy homemade burger sauce. Fries optional!
Ingredients
- 5–6 slices chopped bacon
- 1 lb hamburger meat
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup pickles, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled onions chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes chopped
Homemade Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to season to taste
Optional: 1 bag of frozen waffle fries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Line baking sheet with foil and bacon strips in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to soak some of the extra grease.
- Cook waffle fries according to the package instructions.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and chopped onion. Stir and let the onions cook down until they are soft.
- Move the onions to the sides of the pan and add ground meat to the center of the skillet. Break apart using a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until meat is browned. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cheese. Sauté for a couple more minutes to season. Remove from heat.
- Make a relish with pickles and pickled onions. Roughly chop pickles and pickled onions and mix together in a bowl.
- Make burger sauce. In a bowl, add ingredients for burger sauce and whisk together until evenly incorporated.
- Layer your burger bowl. Start with a bed of romaine lettuce, top with ground meat, pickled relish, chopped cherry tomatoes, bacon bits, burger sauce, some extra cheese. Serve with waffle fries.
