Summertime to me is all about the grilling. Just the thought of firing up the grill and smelling that meat roasting over the hot coals makes me as giddy as a kid in a candy shop. There is just something about a big juicy and hot off the grill burger with all the fixings! Ah..summer food dreams…

I know, I know….this recipe isn’t about grilling or those big grilled cheeseburgers I was just drooling over, it’s a salad.  Disappointed? Don’t be!

Did you see that title, bacon!  I added crispy bacon into this cheeseburger inspired bowl plus I saved you about an hour of cooking! That’s got to make up for the lack of the grill, right?

I thought so!

This Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl is something that we have enjoyed for years in our home. I reserve it for those evenings when we are too busy to grill out, or when I don’t feel like spending extra time making full fledge burgers.

Yes, I admit it, sometimes this busy mama, and food blogger is just that lazy. So lazy in fact, that the very thought of just the extra ten minutes in the kitchen,  forming out burger patties,  makes me want to throw a tired mom tantrum.

Trust me, those tantrums are not pretty nor are they my finest moments!

But, we won’t talk anymore about my weak moments, after all, you came here for the food, not the confessions of an overwhelmed momma, right? Right!

On nights when I am tired (okay exhausted, let’s call it what it is), or if we’ve had a long day out with our homeschool activities I love to throw these bowls together.

The recipe is super simple and with a little multitasking it can be ready in about thirty minutes, and that my friends make me happy.

To make sure that this dinner comes together quickly I simply bake my bacon in the oven while my ground beef is browning on the top of the stove.

While the proteins are doing their thing and cooking away, I chop the veggie toppings and whip up the tangy sauce for the burger bowls. Oh yes, my friends, I said sauce. It’s all about the sauce for me in this recipe.  It is the amazing topping that ties all the cheeseburger flavors together.

Here’s A Look at the Sauce Ingredients:

• Mayo
• low sugar ketchup
• diced pickles
• diced onions (optional)
• garlic powder
• onion powder

Such simple ingredients but you’ll be surprised at how much flavor it brings. It is really close to a Big Mac Sauce or a Thousand Island salad dressing flavor.

If you are not a fan of these to flavor profiles you can use any salad dressing of your choice. Ranch is pretty amazing on these salads too!

Serving Up A Delicious Bacon Cheeseburger Salad!  

The freshness of all the veggies, the savory ground beef, and the mixed with the flavors of a bacon delicious on its own but when you add this sauce it just takes it to the next level.

Along with that great flavor profile we just talked about there is another bonus of these bowls is that there are a couple different serving styles you can use when you are ready to feel your crowd.

One simple way to build one big Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl and it can served family style right out of that bowl onto individual plates. Not into family style?

No worries, my favorite way to service this dish is to set it up as a buffet style. This lets everyone fill their bowls with the toppings they like best leaving out those pesky onions if they choose.

No matter how you choose to serve them there is just no going wrong with this recipe. If you love salads and burgers on top of quick and easy meals, then you are going to want to make these Bacon Cheeseburger Bowls soon.

Be sure and keep the recipe handy because it is a crowd pleaser with the bonus of being tired mom approved!

Serving Tips

• When serving this salad family style chop and build your layers of toppings in a large bowl and only top with the warm ground beef right before serving. This will make sure that your meat is still warm and your toppings are still nice and crisp.
• Buffet style is a simple way to make sure that everyone will be happy with their burger bowls. While your meat is browning simply chop up your favorite burger toppings and put them in individual bowls. Your family and friends can then begin building their own. Kids love helping and being able to build their own! You might even get them to eat extra veggies this way, hmm…fingers crossed!
• To save even more time you skip baking or frying the bacon and just use a package of real bacon bits. None of those fake crumbles you guys, you don’t want to miss out on the flavor the real bacon brings to this Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl.
• Want a lite version of this salad, no problem. Simple use a lean ground beef or turkey and replace the mayo in your burger sauce with Greek yogurt.

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Yield: 4-6 Servings

Bacon Cheeseburger Bowls

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

All the flavors and toppings from a Bacon Cheeseburger served salad style. A great recipe for a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy.

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Ingredients

For The Salad & Toppings

• 1.5 pounds of ground beef
• .5 pound of bacon
• 1 head of leafy or iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Any Additional toppings Of Choice

Cheeseburger Sauce

• 1 cup Real Mayo
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water or heavy cream to thin sauce
• 3 Tablespoons of low sugar ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons finely diced pickles
• 2-3 Tablespoons finely diced onions (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. The first step to this recipe would be to make the Burger Sauce. Combine all the ingredients (expect the water or heavy cream) into a large bowl and mix well. Use the water or heavy cream to thin out the sauce to the consistency you prefer. Start with a few tablespoons at a time and mix. Add more as needed.
2. After the sauce if finished refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Next add the beef to a large skillet and cook until fully cooked.
4. While the ground beef cooks prepare the bacon. This can be cooked in the oven or in a separate skillet. I like to cook my bacon in the oven while I use the stove top to brown the ground beef.
5. Once the beef and bacon are cooking use this time to chop all my salad toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and any other veggies or toppings that you may enjoy on your salads. Some options include: olives, avocado, fresh jalapeno ect.
6. Once the ground beef and bacon are fulling cooked it is ready to serve with all the salad toppings. This can be served family style by layering the salad in a large serving bowls or buffet style by placing the bacon, ground beef, chopped salad veggies and the dressing out and letting everyone build their own salad bowls.

Notes

Depending on how many you are serving this recipe can be scaled up or down. If you need to feed more cooking more bacon and ground beef. If you have a small family cook less or cook more and keep it in the refrigerator for quick lunches through the week.

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!