At my house, we have a few meals in rotation that we turn to when we want something satisfying and familiar. Burger salads are one of those no-fail favorites. We almost always have everything in the house to make them, it’s easy to do a kid-friendly version (a.k.a. a burger on a bun), and I can throw some store-bought potato or cauliflower tots in the air fryer for a zero effort side dish.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
●Igredients
●Instructions
●Serve
Ingredients
For the burgers:
●1 pound ground beef (90/10 or whatever leanness you prefer)
●2 teaspoons burger seasoning or 3/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and ground black pepper, mixed together
●Avocado oil cooking spray
For the dressing/sauce (makes 1 cup):
●1/2 cup mayonnaise
●1/4 cup ketchup
●2 tablespoons yellow mustard
●2 tablespoons dill pickle relish (or finely chopped dill pickle)
●1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
●1/4 teaspoon onion powder
●1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the salads:
●8 cups (about 16 ounces, from one medium head) chopped iceberg lettuce
●1/2 medium red or yellow onion, sliced thinly
●1 beefsteak or slicing tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
●24 dill pickle chips (or 2 medium-sized dill pickles, thinly sliced)
●1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I like Tillamook Farmstyle Shreds)
●Ground black pepper
Method
1.Shape the burgers:
Divide the ground beef into 4 even portions. Using your hands or a burger mold, shape them into patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2” thick. Sprinkle the burger seasoning onto both sides of each patty (1/4 teaspoon per side).
2.Cook the burgers:
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Spray the pan with avocado oil, then add the burger patties. Let them sear for 3 minutes, or until they are well browned and will release easily from the pan.
Use a thin, flexible spatula to flip the burgers. Leave them to cook for 3 minutes more, without moving them around, until they are well seared on both sides and still just a bit pink in the middle (you can cut one open to test, if you like, or use an instant read thermometer and refer to the temperature guide here). Remove the patties to a dish to rest.
3.While the burgers are cooking, make the dressing:
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper until evenly combined.
4.Assemble and serve the salads:
In four wide, shallow bowls, arrange the lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle chips, and cheddar cheese. (I like to sprinkle each ingredient evenly around the bowl rather than making piles of ingredients, so each bite gets some of everything.) Top each salad with one of the burger patties, then drizzle a few tablespoons of the burger sauce onto each salad, to taste. Top each salad with a couple grinds of black pepper and serve right away.