Cheeseburger meets salad with this delicious burger salad! Dressed with a Big Mac inspired special sauce, these healthy burger bowls are loaded with so much mouthwatering flavour. They’re simple to make, perfect for meal prep and can be assembled in less than 30 minutes! {Gluten-free}
Fully loaded burger bowls
Next time you feel like hitting the drive through, I strongly recommend that you whip up this healthy burger salad instead.
This burger salad bowl has all of the flavours of your favourite fast food burger in a healthy bowl loaded with goodness. It’s a fun and balanced meal that the whole family will adore and is so easy to whip together!
Crisp romaine lettuce and fresh salad veggies are topped with seasoned ground beef and then drizzled in a made-from-scratch ultra flavourful special sauce.
The burger sauce is so good, you guys. You’ll definitely want to make extra!
If you’re a burger lover, be sure to also try my Worcestershire Sauce Burger Recipe and Frozen Burger Recipe too!
Why Make this Cheeseburger Salad
- Easy: Ready to serve in 30 minutes, these salad bowls come together quickly and easily with very little fuss. Make the sauce ahead of time for a super quick meal.
- Family-friendly: If you’ve got kids (of all ages!) that love burgers, they are going to adore these burger bowls! It’s such a fun way to eat salad AND you can feel good about feeding them a balanced and nutritious meal.
- Nutrient-packed: High in protein, fibre and healthy fats, this burger salad is a nutritional powerhouse that will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours. This is no wimpy salad!
Ingredient Notes
For the burger salad
- Beef: I like to use extra lean ground beef which is high in protein and lower in saturated fat. If you can, use grass fed beef which is higher in those healthy fats. If you want to switch it up, you could also use ground chicken or turkey, or sub in veggie grounds or black beans for a vegetarian option.
- Veggies: I used lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and avocado to form the base of this salad, but feel free to sub in your own favourite veggies. You could also add shredded carrot, diced cucumber or peppers to make it even more hearty!
- Cheese: We used cheddar cheese in these bowls, but you can sub in your favourite cheese or leave it out altogether to make this salad a dairy-free option.
For the special sauce
- Cashews: Special sauce is normally made using mayo as the base, but this creamy cheeseburger sauce is made with cashews for a healthier mayo-free option. The sauce is totally plant-based and can be used with lots of other meals too. If you require a nut-free option, however, you can sub in a quarter cup of mayo instead of the cashews.
- Tomato paste: A little tomato paste adds a nice acidity and also helps create that famous Big Mac sauce colour!
- Dijon mustard: Dijon adds a great flavour without being too overpowering. If you prefer a milder flavour, you can use regular yellow (AKA American) mustard.
- Pickle and pickle juice: This gives the sauce its unmistakeable special sauce flavour.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh rather than bottled juice for the best flavour.
Step by Step Instructions
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Soak cashews for at least two hours in hot water.
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Cook ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and Dijon mustard, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently. Drain off any fat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
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Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the special sauce into a high power blender (we like the Ninja) and blend until smooth.
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Divide the lettuce among four bowls, top each with equal amounts of the ground beef mixture.
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Top with red onion, avocado, tomatoes, pickles and cheddar cheese. Drizzle each salad bowl with desired amount of sauce and toss to combine.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure that you give the cashews sufficient time to soak so that they are soft enough to blend. If they aren’t soft enough, the sauce may contain chunks of cashews. We want a smooth and creamy sauce. If you don’t have time to soak the cashews, you can also boil them in water on the stove for 20 minutes to soften them.
- If you want to save time, make the special sauce in advance so that all you have to do is cook up the beef and assemble the salad when meal time rolls around.
- If preparing this salad for weekly meal prep, I recommend storing the burger mixture, sauce and salad separately and combining when ready to serve to keep it as fresh as possible and prevent the lettuce from going soggy.
- I recommend making up a double batch of this sauce since it keeps well in the fridge. It’s so good, you’ll want to put it on everything! It also works well spread on burgers or sandwiches, mixed in with shredded or diced chicken or used as a creamy salad dressing.
Recipe FAQs
How to store
You can store the burger mixture in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Can I make beef patties instead of crumbles?
Of course! If you wish to form the burger mixture into patties and then cook them and crumble them into the salad, you can definitely do that as well.
I just find it’s easier to cook the beef crumbles and they’re more evenly distributed throughout the salad bowl so you get some burger in every bite. But feel free to do it either way!
Can I freeze the beef mixture and sauce?
Definitely! Once your beef mixture has fully cooled, transfer it to a freezer safe bag or container. It will keep well for up to 6 months, although it’s best enjoyed within 3 months.
You can thaw the beef in the fridge overnight before reheating quickly in a skillet, and you can also heat it right from frozen on a low heat until warmed through. I like to cook up extra beef and freeze it for easy meals for those crazy busy days.
Other Topping Suggestions
These burger bowls are great as they are, but you can easily add on any topping you like.
Some other toppings that would work well include:
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Crumbled bacon
- Caramelized onions
- Additional veggies of choice
Recipe variations
- More veggies – If you want more veggies, you can also add diced or shredded carrots, peppers or cucumbers.
- Meat – Sub in ground chicken or turkey, pork or bison.
- To make vegan – Use veggie grounds or black beans and leave off the cheese.
- To make nut-free – Sub in 1/4 cup mayo for the cashews in the special sauce.
- Spices – You can add some spices to the ground beef mixture if you want to switch up the flavour. Try adding taco seasoning for a Mexican flair!
Serving Suggestions
These salad bowls are pretty much a meal in themselves, but you can easily serve them up with your favourite sides.
Try them with:
- Curly Sweet Potato Fries
- Cinnamon Paprika Sweet Potato Fries
- Roasted Garlic Potatoes
- Dinner rolls served on the side
More Tasty Salad Recipes
- Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- Steak and Avocado Salad
- Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Potato Kale Bowl
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Healthy Burger Salad Bowl with Special Sauce
Ingredients
For the burger mixture
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Dash of salt and pepper
For the special sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted cashews soaked
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp diced pickle
- 2 tbsp pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
For the burger bowls
- 8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 4 cups diced cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced pickles
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Soak cashews for at least two hours in hot water.
- Cook ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and Dijon mustard, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently. Drain off any fat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the Big Mac sauce into a high power blender (we like the Ninja) and blend until smooth.
- Divide the lettuce among four bowls, top each with equal amounts of the ground beef mixture.
- Top with red onion, avocado, tomatoes, pickles and cheddar cheese. Drizzle each salad bowl with desired amount of special sauce and toss to combine.
Video
Notes
- Make sure that you give the cashews sufficient time to soak so that they are soft enough to blend. If they aren't soft enough, the sauce may contain chunks of cashews. We want a smooth and creamy sauce. If you don't have time to soak the cashews, you can also boil them in water on the stove for 20 minutes to soften them.
- If you want to save time, make the special sauce in advance so that all you have to do is cook up the beef and assemble the salad when meal time rolls around.
- If preparing this salad for weekly meal prep, I recommend storing the burger mixture, sauce and salad separately and combining when ready to serve to prevent the lettuce from going soggy.
- I recommend making up a double batch of this sauce since it keeps well in the fridge. It's so good, you'll want to put it on everything! It also works well spread on burgers or sandwiches, mixed in with shredded or diced chicken or used as a creamy salad dressing.
Love this recipe as it has some delicious ingredients (such as beef and avocado), I end up cooking the same way all the time, so it was nice to try something new! Plus – that paprika kick in the sauce, together with the mustard, was absolutely perfect, it balanced the whole dish! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Elle! It’s always nice to switch up the menu and try something new :) Thanks so much for returning to leave a review!