This bacon cheeseburger salad is a quick, healthy and delicious way to get your burger fix. Gluten-free, grain-free, packed with flavor, and it all comes together in just 30 minutes!
I used to have this big aversion to bunless burgers. I just never found ground beef to be super appealing, and I just felt like it was weird. Well, since (mostly) giving up gluten in support of my husband, I’ve eaten a lot more bunless burgers, and ya know what? I really liked it. Like, I didn’t miss the bun. I didn’t wish there was a gluten-free bun. I just enjoyed burgers on their own.
The biggest problem is figuring out how to eat them. Obviously I’m not picking it up, and a fork and knife does the trick, but it’s hard to get all of the ingredients (I’m a toppings gal) in one bite. Side note: Have you guys ever seen the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces? With Bette Middler? And she tries to find “the perfect bite” in her salads? Totally me. Gosh I love that movie, and I should be embarrassed because it’s beyond cheesy, but I don’t even care.
So I threw everything into a huge salad, and it worked out into may perfect bites. Plus I snuck some green in there. Way more than you normally get on a burger. And I may or may not have cooked the onions in the same pan as my bacon. That’s a polite way of saying I cooked them in bacon fat. I am a disgrace to healthy living, but ya know what? It was SO worth it, and I recommend you do the same thing. It’s cool, it’s a salad. And it’s center cut bacon, so the fat is, like, not really there, right?
I topped mine with a light ranch dressing. I would also suggest thousand island, bleu cheese, or just ketchup and mustard.
This bacon cheeseburger salad is a quick, healthy and delicious way to get your burger fix. Gluten-free, grain-free, packed with flavor, and it all comes together in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef (93% or higher)*
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- generous pinch burger seasoning*
- 8 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced and grilled (or caramelized, or cooked in remaining bacon fat for a real treat)
- 8-10 cups chopped romaine (or lettuce of choice)
- 1 1/3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1-2 dill pickles, chopped
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- dressing of choice
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add ground beef and season with salt, pepper, and burger seasoning. Cook until beef is browned and no pink remains stirring constantly, about 5-10 minutes.
- To serve, either toss everything together in a large bowl, or plate separately layering lettuce at the bottom, topping with veggies, meat, then cheese. Drizzle with desired dressing. Serve immediately. To store left overs, keep meat, veggies and cheese separate. Reheat meat then layer as when originally served.
Notes
*Ground turkey may be substituted. *I use a store-bought burger seasoning. I have also used a chop house seasoning, or I throw in everything inside of my pantry. Feel free to use any/all of your favorite spices.
Putting a burger INSIDE the salad? You deserve an award for that idea!
Christine from Cook the Story recently posted…Crispy Coconut Baked Fish Fillets
Lets just say you had me at bacon 🙂 I usually like buns but sometimes I feel like it can take away from the meat flavors, so I am totally up for a bacon cheeseburger salad 🙂 What dressing did you use with this?
Selena @ thenutritiouskitchen.com recently posted…Chocolate Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies
I used a light ranch from the store because I was too lazy to make my own, but it would also be great with blue cheese or thousand island!
Love a low carb way to get mu burger fix! Yum!
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