This Naked Burger Salad Bowl is a fan favorite. It features crisp romaine, juicy seasoned beef, pickled red onions, shredded cheese, dill pickles, grape tomatoes and crispy tater tots, all finished with a tangy special burger sauce. It’s quick to assemble and perfect for an easy lunch or dinner.
Today I’m sharing one of my favorites: a Naked Burger Salad Bowl. I first tried this concept at a local restaurant and immediately loved it. There’s so much flavor and texture in this bowl that you won’t miss the bun.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
There’s a lot to enjoy here: juicy ground beef seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning, a creamy and tangy special burger sauce, crunchy tater tots, quick homemade pickled red onions, freshly shredded cheese and crisp salad ingredients. The combination makes a hearty, satisfying meal that’s easy to customize.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 80/20 ground beef (1 lb)
- Olive oil
- Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Romaine lettuce (about a 9 oz bag chopped)
- Tater tots (30–40 pieces, cooked)
- Grape tomatoes (2 cups, halved)
- Colby Jack cheese (1 1/2 cups freshly shredded)
- Pickle slices (1/2 cup, dill or sweet)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Special burger sauce (recipe below)
- Pickled red onions (recipe below)
I prefer 80/20 ground beef because it stays juicy when cooked. Freshly shredding a brick of cheese makes a noticeable difference in texture and melt. Any leftovers of the burger sauce will keep in an airtight container for about a week; the pickled red onions will keep up to three weeks refrigerated.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Pickled red onions: Slice 1 medium red onion thinly and place the slices in a jar with a lid. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 cup water. Heat over medium-high until it simmers, then pour the hot liquid over the onions, seal the jar and shake. Let the onions marinate at room temperature for two hours, ensuring they remain submerged. Store refrigerated for up to three weeks.
Special burger sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp ketchup, 3 Tbsp dill pickle relish, 1 Tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp onion powder until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a jar or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook the tater tots according to package directions so they’re hot and crispy when you assemble the bowls.
Cook the beef: While tots bake, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add 1 lb ground beef (80/20) and your preferred method of cooking: press into one large thin-ish patty, sprinkle 2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning on top and let the bottom crisp before flipping; or crumble and break apart as it cooks and season; or form two smaller burgers and cook to desired doneness. Any method works—if the patty breaks, you’ll simply divide the meat between bowls.
Assemble the bowls: Place chopped romaine as the base. Divide the cooked beef between two bowls, then add halved grape tomatoes, pickle slices, shredded Colby Jack, tater tots and a spoonful of pickled red onions. Drizzle with the special burger sauce and finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired. Adjust ingredient amounts to taste—add more pickles, cheese or tomatoes as you prefer.
These bowls are flexible, flavorful and filling—great for a quick weekday meal or an easy weekend lunch. Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment if you try the recipe.
A Few Cook’s Notes for Naked Burger Salad Bowl
This recipe is flexible—treat the bowl ingredients as guidelines and add quantities to suit your appetite. One pound of ground beef yields two hearty bowls. The pickled onion and burger sauce ingredient amounts are accurate; refrigerate any extras for future use.
More Delicious Burger Recipes to Enjoy
Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayo
The Signature Beach House Surf N’ Turf Burger
Tony’s Baked Cheeseburger Sliders
Naked Burger Salad Bowl
Ingredients
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup water
Special Burger Sauce
- 3/4 cup good mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp. ketchup
- 3 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
- 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. onion powder
Naked Burger Bowl
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef, I use 80/20
- 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 9 oz. bag chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup pickle slices, dill or sweet
- 1 1/2 cup freshly shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- 30-40 pieces tater tots, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
Pickled Red Onions
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Slice onions thin and place in a jar with a lid. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, stir together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and water. Cook on medium high heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Pour the hot mixture over the onions in the jar and cover with the lid and shake the jar. Let the onions marinate for two hours at room temperature. Make sure the onions are submerged in the liquid. Serve or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Special Burger Sauce
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Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a jar with a lid or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Naked Burger Bowl
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Bake your tater tots according to the package directions. While your tater tots are baking, you’ll make your burger meat.
I like to add my oil to a large skillet over medium high heat and then add in my ground beef and use a spatula to press the meat down into one large thin-ish pattie. Sprinkle the top the seasoning. Do not attempt to turn the pattie until the bottom is a bit crispy. This will vary with everyone’s individual stovetop, so just keep an eye on it and flip it when you think it’s ready and to your liking.
It really won’t matter if the pattie breaks apart a bit because you will be diving the meat into two bowls.
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The last step is to assemble your burger bowls. I like to make my romaine lettuce the base of the bowls, then distribute half of the tomatoes, pickles, shredded cheese, tater tots and some of the pickled red onions into each bowl, finishing with some of the special burger sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve with the extra special burger sauce.
Notes
The one pound ground beef is enough for two hearty bowls. Add as much of the other ingredients that you desire.
The burger sauce and pickled red onion ingredients are exact, but feel free to add as much of each to your bowls and refrigerate the remainders for later.