Easy Cheeseburger Bowls with Special Sauce
All the flavors of a cheeseburger in a bowl with a special sauce you'll want to put on everything.
Ingredients
Bowl Base:
- 20 ounces frozen roasted diced potatoes (see Cooking Notes for sub ideas)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil (sub: olive oil)
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (sub: lean ground turkey)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt* (*If the frozen potatoes are seasoned, cut the salt by a fourth at least.)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (recommend: Lea & Perrins brand)
Special Burger Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise (I used avocado mayo.)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup (I prefer organic.)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickles (sub: relish)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Toppings:
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more if desired)
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes (diced)
- ½ cup diced pickles (recommend: Grillo Dill Pickles)
- ½ small red onion (diced or thinly sliced; sub: pickled red onions)
- Optional toppings: Cooked and crumbled bacon, diced avocado, black beans
Instructions
- Air Fry or Roast Frozen Potatoes: Follow package directions to crisp up the frozen roasted potatoes. (Mine took 16-18 minutes in the air fryer or 12-14 minutes in the oven.)
- Sauce & Toppings: Meanwhile, whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Then, prep the toppings. Either lay them out on a large cutting board or place in individual containers that are easy to store as leftovers.
- Brown & Season Beef: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5-7 minutes. Once it’s broken up some, season with the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire.
- Assemble Bowls: Divide the warm potatoes and beef mixture into bowls. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onion, and a drizzle of special sauce (1-2 tablespoons per bowl).
Freezer Instructions
Freeze For Later: Cook and fully cool the meat. Freeze in a freezer bag or container, pressing out as much air as possible. Freeze the meat alongside the frozen potatoes and a bag of shredded cheese. I like to use a grocery sack to keep it all together.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to serve, thaw the meat and cheese overnight in the fridge. Reheat the meat in the microwave. Follow the recipe instructions for cooking the potatoes and prepping the sauce and toppings.
Notes/Tips
- Sub for Frozen Potatoes: I’ve tested this over rice and over tater tots instead of diced roasted potatoes and both are delicious. For a low-carb option, serve over cauli-rice or cauliflower tater tots.
- About the Store-Bought Potatoes: Look for clean ingredients that you recognize. I used Bettergoods Oven Roasted & Seasoned Yukon Gold Potatoes from Walmart (about 1-inch pieces).
- Adjust Seasoning: The meat mixture is a balanced, kid-friendly base for the bowls. But feel free to increase spices like the smoked paprika for more smokiness, the red pepper flakes for more heat, or the Worcestershire for more complex flavor.
- Dairy-free: Leave off the cheese.
- Gluten-free: Make sure the store-bought frozen potatoes are certified gluten-free.
- To Meal Prep This Recipe:
- Chop all veggies for toppings and store in fridge up to 5 days.
- Make sauce and store in fridge up to 2 weeks.
- Cook and cool meat mixture. Store in covered container in fridge up to 5 days.
- Cook and cool potatoes. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.
- Heat meat mixture and potatoes well in microwave before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 636 kcal (32%) | Carbohydrates: 40 g (13%) | Protein: 33 g (66%) | Fat: 37 g (57%) | Cholesterol: 89 mg (30%) | Sodium: 1213 mg (53%) | Fiber: 4 g (17%) | Sugar: 4 g (4%)
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