Burger bowls take all the elements of a cheeseburger and combine them into one simple dinner. Bowl style recipes are great ideas for a weeknight because they are easy and everyone can customize their bowl to their liking!
BURGER BOWL INGREDIENTS
You can make these bowls any way you’d like, but here’s what I used to make mine.
- Ground beef. You’ll use 1 pound and I grabbed 80/20.
- Tater tots. I wanted something easy to eat with a fork in one bite, and for me a fry doesn’t qualify. Tots are just the perfect thing for that!
- Iceberg lettuce.
- Grape tomatoes.
- Red onion.
- Pickles.
- Cheddar cheese.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper.
BURGER SPECIAL SAUCE
I’m all about those special sauces. Whether it’s a burger, fries, chicken nuggets, or anything dippable I’ve got to have an epic sauce to tie everything together. So here’s what you’ll need to whip up the sauce for these bowls.
- Light mayo. You can use regular mayo if you want, but lately I’ve been buying light.
- Ketchup.
- Dijon mustard.
- Pickle juice.
- Garlic powder.
- Sugar.
- Cajun seasoning. You can use whatever brand you’d like, but this is the Cajun seasoning I buy the most.
VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
You can really have fun with these and make swaps or add in whatever you’d like! I keep these simple just so they are easy and quick for a weeknight, but here are some ideas so you can change up your burger bowls!
- Make them spicy. You can add cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper to the ground beef for a nice kick of heat.
- Cheesy swaps. No Cheddar? No problem! Change up the cheese and try pepper jack, American, or Swiss.
- Bacon. Bacon makes everything better right? Adding some cooked crumbled bacon would be a tasty savory twist.
- Fully loaded. Guac, corn, beans, or mushrooms. Any of these could be added to really fully load these bowls!
LEFTOVER STORAGE AND REHEATING
This is one of those recipes that actually works well as leftovers or as meal prep for lunches during the week. Keep leftover ground beef and tots stored in separate containers in the fridge. Then any extra chopped add-ins you can keep together in a separate container.
If you’re reheating this at home, you can pop the tots back in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then the ground beef in the microwave. Then just reassemble with the leftover toppings, and any extra burger sauce.
If you’re at work, both tots and beef can go in the microwave it’s just the the tots won’t regain any crispiness…but it’s still good!
For more bowl-style dinners, add some of these to your weekly menu!
Copycat KFC Famous Bowls
Chicken Burrito Bowls
Sweet Potato Taco Bowls
Broccoli and Sweet Potato Tahini Bowls
Burger Bowls
All the elements of a burger in an easy bowl style dinner. Super easy for a weeknight and you can customize these with any extra burger toppings you want!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the ground beef
1 pound ground beef (I used 80/20)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the burger special sauce
1/2 cup light mayo
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 teaspoons pickle juice
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Water
Burger bowl add-ins
1 bag tater tots
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Red onions
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Pickles
Instructions
1. Cook the tater tots according to package instructions.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the burger sauce. The sauce will be thick at first, to thin it out add water a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want. Place the bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your bowls.
3. While the tots are baking, add the ground beef to a large pan and season with the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. About halfway through cooking add the Worcestershire sauce. I like to turn up the heat towards the end to get some of the beef crumbles browned. Once fully cooked, drain any excess grease.
4. While you’re cooking the beef you can prepare the burger bowl ingredients. For my bowl I used diced red onion, chopped grape tomatoes, chopped lettuce, diced pickles, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
5. Once the beef and tots are finished cooking simply assemble your bowl and add as much special sauce as you want.
Leave a Reply