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Cheeseburger Burger Bowls with Special Sauce

Cheeseburger burger bowls with special sauce deliver classic cheeseburger flavor in a bunless, low-carb format. Juicy seasoned ground beef is layered over crunchy romaine and topped with cheddar, pickles, and a creamy homemade sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chill 20 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Burger Bowls
  • 1.5 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 6 cup chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 0.5 cup dill pickle slices
  • 0.5 cup diced red onion
  • 1 cup diced cucumbers
  • 1 avocado, sliced optional
  • 0.25 sesame seeds optional
Special Sauce
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped dill pickles
  • 1 tsp pickle juice
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp paprika
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the special sauce
  1. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, finely chopped dill pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder until smooth, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  2. While the sauce chills, prep the toppings by slicing or chopping romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, dill pickle slices, and avocado (if using).
Cook the burger filling
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
  2. Add the lean ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.
  3. Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, then cook for 2 minutes.
Assemble the burger bowls
  1. Divide the chopped romaine lettuce among four serving bowls.
  2. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, diced red onion, dill pickle slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced avocado (if using) around the lettuce in each bowl.
  3. Spoon the hot seasoned beef into the center of each bowl.
  4. Drizzle generously with the special sauce, then garnish with sesame seeds (if using) and serve immediately.

Notes

For the best crunch, prep toppings and keep the romaine dry until assembly; store leftover components separately—burger filling and sauce keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Freeze the cooked beef filling only (up to 2 months); sauce and lettuce do not freeze well. For a lower-fat option, use light mayonnaise or Greek-yogurt-based mayo in the special sauce.