Easy Burger Bowl w/ Not-So-Secret Sauce

Burger Bowl w/ Not-So-Secret Sauce. One of the tastiest and easiest dinners that has loves of veggies, but is still fun and delicious. It’s basically a burger salad and it really never disappoints. We have phases where the burger bowl is in the weekly rotation, especially for lunch. I love to make the sweet potato fries in the air fryer. It’s time to fully embrace being the person that wants a salad & also a side of fries. Oh and the sauce? I am tired of my favorite burger places not telling me their sauce recipes!

The Burger Bowl

This recipe is awesome because it is going to be good no matter what substitutions you love best. Ground turkey & ground chicken work just as well for a leaner option. Cut down on time with a frozen bag of sweet potato fries. I love using fresh sweet potatoes! But I have more than once grabbed a frozen bag of sweet potato fries & chucked them in the air fryer. We usually use real sweet potatoes if it is for dinner, and air fryed if it is for lunch, ha!

For the base we have romaine & a mix of spinach. I want to make sure there are lots of vegetables in my meals and something a little more substantial than romaine. And I also want crunch. Feel free to use a mix of any of your favorite veggies. I also like to use iceberg lettuce if I really want it to have a slight hint of “I just got McDonald’s”. The only thing I say make exactly as-is no matter WHAT? My not-so-secret sauce.

Re-create the crispy edges of a fast food burger in the skillet. After the ground beef is cooked, you will stop stirring, throw the skillet on high-heat and press down on random parts of your beef creating the brown charred bits reminiscent of your favorite fast foods.

Not-So-Secret-Sauce

And then, there is the sauce.

I call it my Not-So-Secret Sauce. I don’t keep secrets like some of our favorite burger places. Instead of drizzling the burger bowl with a bunch of different condiments, this not-so-secret burger sauce is an all-in-one, super delicious topping. And it’s actually amazing with the sweet potato fries. The ingredients for the sauce are probably already in your fridge and spice rack.

You do not HAVE to use pickle juice if you are a pickle hater, but no substitute will match its salty tangy-ness. It also waters down the sauce and makes it more like a dressing. You can use water, but just know I am team pickle juice or bust!

Grab a bowl, fill it with lettuce, add with your burger meat & fried onions. Crispy, roasted sweet potato fries line the edges, and a drizzle of Not-So-Secret sauce will totally have you making it weekly like I do. Feel free to add your favorite cheese, but this bowl is so good, you won’t realize it’s missing.

If you make this, tag me on Instagram @quartersoulcrisis or comment here & leave a rating, I love to hear your thoughts.

Easy Burger Bowl w/ Not-So-Secret Sauce

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  

Burger Bowl

• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 1 lb ground beef*
• 1.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2-3 heads romaine lettuce chopped thin
• pickles* 3-5 per bowl
• 2 cups spinach rough chopped
• 1 tbs sesame seeds
• kosher salt
• optional: tomatoes, raw onion or your favorite cheese

Sweet Potato Fries

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1/2 tbs cornstarch
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• pinch ground black pepper

(Not So Secret) Sauce

• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 & 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbs pickle juice
• 1/4 tsp pinch cayenne if you like it spicy

Instructions

 

Sweet Potato Fries

• Trim ends & clean sweet potatoes. Cut into 1/4 inch sticks. Toss in oil, corn starch, salt & pepper. Set aside.

  If using oven: Preheat oven to 425° with baking sheet inside the oven. Carefully remove baking sheet with oven mitt. Dump and spread sweet potatoes onto hot baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes, flip & bake for another 15 or until crisp.

  If using Air Fryer: Lightly grease air fryer with spray. Preheat air fryer to 425°. Once preheated, add sweet potatoes & air fry until crisp, shaking or tossing every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes. This could vary so test around 12 minutes.

Burger Bowl

• Make Burger meat: While sweet potatoes are baking, cook your burger. Heat 1 tbs oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. When oil is heated, add chopped yellow onion with large pinch salt. Cook until translucent, soft and browning 5-10 minutes. Break up ground beef and add to skillet with another pinch salt, pepper & the garlic & onion powder. Toss. Cook until ground beef is fully cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
• Make Not-So-Secret Sauce: Add all ingredients in a small bowl or jar & stir together.
• Assemble: Make Burger Bowl Sauce (below). Divide lettuce between bowls or plates of choice. Add cooked ground beef & onion mixture. Top with Sweet potato fries, pickles & any other toppings of choice. Drizzle the sauce over top of the bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Home Cook’s Notes

Home Cook’s Tip: 

• You can substitute ground beef with anything: lean ground beef, ground turkey & ground chicken. I’ve tried it with everything & always love it. 
• I LOVE bread & butter pickles so that is what I use for this recipe. You should use your favorite pickle for burgers
• Sweet Potato Fries: Can be roasted in oven, or air fried. I often take a shortcut of buying frozen ones so feel free. 
• of course you can add your favorite cheese for burgers. I would add it at the end once the meat is cooked & let it melt on top of the meet before scooping it into lettuce.