Cheeseburger salad combines the deliciousness of a cheeseburger with the crunchiness of a salad. It's easy to customize by adding bacon or swapping out the vegetables or cheese.
We're fans of salads around here. This Tuscan Kale Salad is a particular favorite. But when I want a cheeseburger, but make it healthy, why not do a cheeseburger salad? It's a high-protein, low-carb alternative to a typical cheeseburger.
What is a cheeseburger salad?
A cheeseburger salad is something that brings together the flavors of a cheeseburger... but into a salad! So it's a little heavier on the lettuce, and no bun. (Though you can always add croutons for a bit of bready crunch).
Ground beef, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese? What's not to love?
And instead of the typical condiments of ketchup and mustard, we've paired it with a mustardy vinaigrette. Keep reading for more dressing ideas if you want to swap out the vinaigrette for something else.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Cheddar cheese
What type of dressing to use?
The dressing is important on a cheeseburger salad. And it's up to the taste you're going for!
- For a lighter, mustardy vinaigrette, follow the recipe as is.
- If you're looking for a creamier, thick honey mustard BBQ sauce, use this recipe.
- If you're making your cheeseburger salad "Animal Style" like In-N-Out Burger or a special sauce, you will want to opt for a dressing like this.
- And of course, there's always the classic Ranch or even thousand island dressing.
Customize it!
One of my favorite things to do is customize my salads to my tastes. Here are a few ideas:
- Swap out the ground beef for some ground turkey.
- Don't want to use romaine? Use iceberg lettuce or even something like baby spinach.
- Instead of cherry tomatoes, slice up a roma, campari, or beefsteak tomato.
- Add some chopped dill pickle or even drizzle with a little pickle juice.
- Add some toasted sesame seeds to the salad.
- Want to make a bacon cheeseburger salad? Just cook up some bacon and toss it in. Yum.
- Swap out the ground beef for breaded chicken tenders.
- Grill up some onions and toss them in the salad.
- Swap out the shredded cheddar cheese for feta and the beef for lamb for a Greek-inspired burger salad.
How to make the salad:
First, cook up your ground beef. As the ground beef is cooking up, prep your veggies. I like to slice up my red onion, cut up my lettuce, and dice my tomatoes.
Next, make your dressing! Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Then the fun happens! Combine the seasoned ground beef, lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, and any other ingredients in a bowl, mix together, and toss with your dressing.
Top with cheddar cheese. Then sit back and enjoy your cheeseburger salad.
Other recipes to love:
Cheeseburger Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ pound hamburger meat
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt optional
- 5 leaves romaine lettuce chopped
- 5 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoon red onion finely chopped
- cheddar cheese grated
Mustard Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Add the hamburger meat to a medium skillet and start cooking, stirring occasionally.
- Once meat starts browning, add the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt (optional), and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the meat is browned and cooked through. Turn off the heat and drain any excess moisture.
- Wash and dry the lettuce and chop into small pieces. Wash the tomatoes and quarter them. Dice the red onion into small pieces until you have 2 tablespoons.
- Make the vinaigrette by adding all the vinaigrette ingredients to a bowl and whisking together until combined.
- Add the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and hamburger meat to a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Top with grated cheese.
Notes
- Instead of cherry tomatoes, slice up a roma, campari, or beefsteak tomato.
- Add some chopped dill pickle or even drizzle with a little pickle juice.
- Add some toasted sesame seeds to the salad.
- Want to make a bacon cheeseburger salad? Just cook up some bacon and toss it in. Yum.
- Swap out the ground beef for breaded chicken tenders.
- Grill up some onions and toss them in the salad.
- Swap out the shredded cheddar cheese for feta and the beef for lamb for a Greek-inspired burger salad.
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