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This cheeseburger salad has everything you love about a cheeseburger, minus the bun! Romaine lettuce is topped with seasoned ground beef, cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and a special burger sauce!
Looking for another sandwich inspired salad? Try this chicken BLT salad!
Why you’ll love it
Healthy and great for meal prep – The ingredients for this salad are all pretty straight forward and they hold up well for up to 4 days. Store the dressing separately from the salad and it will keep for up to a week.
Burger sauce – I love a good sauce on a burger! This particular sauce is reminiscent of thousand island dressing or what you’d find on a Big Mac burger.
Lots of texture – This salad is full of crunchy texture. The romaine, red onion, and dill pickles, all add a nice crisp, crunch to the salad.
Family dinner – This “Big Mac” salad is one the whole family will love! Both kids and adults will love all the cheeseburger flavors and ingredients.
The ingredients
- Ground beef – Lean ground beef works best so that the salad doesn’t get too greasy.
- Worcestershire sauce – Add a wonderful savory flavor to the ground beef.
- Dijon mustard – Tangy and used to flavor both the ground beef and the burger sauce.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika – Flavorful dried spices used in the ground beef mixture.
- Romaine lettuce – Crisp and crunchy. Holds up well with all the toppings.
- Cherry tomatoes, dill pickle chips, red onion – Common toppings used on a cheeseburger.
- Cheese – I used sharp cheddar cheese for the salad, however you can use whatever your favorite cheese is.
- Sesame seeds – Optional, but add a nice crunch and reminiscent of a sesame seed bun.
- Mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt – I like to use a mixture of mayo and Greek yogurt to keep the sauce on the lighter side.
- Ketchup – Sweet and a little tangy. A key component to the special burger sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar – Used in the sauce. Adds an acidic component to it.
How to make cheeseburger salad
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the burger sauce dressing until smooth and well combined. Pour it into a jar or container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add the ground beef to a skillet. Crumble and cook it over medium-high heat until nearly cooked through. Add in the dijon, Worcestershire, and spices and stir until combined.
On a serving platter or bowl, add the chopped romaine lettuce.
Top the romaine with the ground beef and all of the cheeseburger toppings. Garnish with sesame seeds and drizzle with the burger sauce or serve it on the side.
Storage and leftovers
The leftover salad can be stored a couple different ways depending on if you’re making it for meal prep.
Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator without the dressing on it for up to 4 days. It’s best stored without the dressing so it stays crisp.
Meal prep – If you plan to make this cheeseburger salad for meal prep, store the lettuce topped with the red onion, tomatoes, cheese, and pickles in one container.
Keep the ground beef and dressing in separate containers and add them to the salad when you’re ready to eat it. Storing it this way also makes it easy to reheat the ground beef, if that’s important to you.
Variations
- Make a hamburger salad instead of a cheeseburger salad by simply omitting the cheese.
- Include carbs with the salad by adding crunchy croutons. You could even cut up hamburger buns into crouton sized pieces and toast them in the oven.
- Swap ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Make the special sauce lighter by omitting the mayo and using all Greek yogurt. Vice versa you can omit the Greek yogurt and use all mayo or mayo and sour cream.
- If you don’t want to make the special burger dressing, substitute with store bought ranch, thousand island, or blue cheese dressing.
- Add additonal toppings such as chopped bacon, blue cheese crumbles, diced avocado, or pickled jalapeños.
More hearty salad recipes
Did you make this cheeseburger salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Cheeseburger Salad
Ingredients
Ground Beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup dill pickle chips
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- Sesame seeds for garnish optional
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
- 1 tablespoon dijon
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a jar or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add the ground beef to a skillet. Season with salt and pepper, then crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add in the Worcestershire, dijon, and dried spices. Stir until combined.
- Place the chopped lettuce into a serving bowl or onto a serving platter. Top it with the ground beef, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and pickles. Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad or serve it on the side. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
