Cheeseburger Salad

Name: Cheeseburger Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, chicken, or turkey; 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 small red onion (2 tablespoons finely diced and 1/4 cup thinly sliced); 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes; 1/2 cup diced dill pickles; 3/4 cup ketchup; 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; 1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese; 10 cups thinly sliced romaine or iceberg lettuce; 8-11 ounces pretzel or hamburger buns (cut into 1-inch cubes)

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This is the ultimate Cheeseburger Salad that's prepped in just 15 minutes. It will be a guaranteed hit with your family and friends for an easy weeknight dinner. Customize the salad with your favorite burger toppings.

This Cheeseburger Salad is a recipe that's just so dang good pretty much any night of the week. If you need a quick dinner, it's so quick to assemble with just 15 minutes of prep time. This salad is originally inspired by a Pampered Chef salad that I used to make several years ago.

Our family and friends loved that Pampered Chef salad so much, I've recreated my own recipe over the years and just had to share it with all of you! Use whatever fun burger toppings you already have in your fridge to make this recipe fun for the whole family.

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I will say the real secret to making this salad extra special is the seasoned beef. We add ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onions to ours so it's truly a hamburger in a skillet! Plus we use hamburger buns as croutons, it's genius!

If you love a fun dinner salad, we do too! You have to also try our Chick-fil-a Cobb Salad, Loaded House Salad, and Cornbread Chicken Salad.

Getting a bite on a fork of burger salad.

Table of Contents

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Easy Dinner Recipe: This is a foolproof recipe, great for anyone to make successfully!
15 Minute Prep Time: Perfect for busy weeks, this hamburger salad keeps it simple with just 15 minutes of prep time.
Customize to Everyone's Liking: Make a burger salad bar! You can really add whatever toppings you love here.

Laura Ashley's Tip: We love using beef in our burger salad, but feel free to use whatever type of meat you want! Ground turkey, chicken, or vegan meat crumbles all work great!

Ingredients for Burger Salad

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

Ground beef, chicken, or turkey: The meat base for the burger mixture, use whatever ground meat you like!
Garlic powder: Adds that hint of garlic flavor that every burger patty needs.
Red onion: We add some to the cooked beef crumbles and some on top to garnish.
Cherry tomatoes: These are the perfect salad topper for that classic burger flavor.
Dill pickles: Can't forget the pickles, we love dill for the briny flavor, but use whatever kind of pickle you like.
Ketchup: Added to the meat mixture to give it moisture and that classic flavor.
Yellow mustard: Gives a bright flavor to the meat mixture.
Cheddar cheese: We love the classic cheddar, but use whatever shredded cheese you like! Pepper Jack, white cheddar, and gruyere would also be delicious.
Romaine or iceberg lettuce: The key with the lettuce is to choose one that's crunchy!
Pretzel or hamburger buns: We use these as croutons, both make a great toasted and crunchy topper.

Ingredients needed to make a burger salad.

Tools You’ll Need

How to Make Cheeseburger Salad

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Arrange the cubed buns in an even layer on a sheet pan. Spritz with olive oil and sprinkle on salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, amount as desired. Bake 8-12 minutes or until lightly toasted. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble ground meat until cooked through. Soak up excess grease using a paper towel in the skillet or drain in a colander. Season meat with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Add the finely diced red onion. Cook for 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and stir in pickles, ketchup, and mustard until well combined.

Mixing ketchup, mustard and pickles into beef.

Arrange lettuce on one large serving platter or in 4-6 individual bowls. Spoon the beef mixture on top of the lettuce. Top the beef mixture with shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and the sliced red onion.
Garnish with toasted hamburger bun croutons.

Pro Tips for Recipe Success

Now I'm thrilled to tell you that this hamburger salad is a tried-and-true recipe that's guaranteed to work every single time. That's why it's on our busy weeknight rotation! Here are some other tips to keep in mind:

Great way to use up leftover buns and burgers. If you happen to have leftover buns or hamburgers from a cookout, this salad is the perfect way to reuse leftovers!
Make it Vegetarian. Use vegan beef like Beyond Meat instead of classic meat here.
Swap out the cheese. We use cheddar, but you should use your favorite kind! Shredded white cheddar, pepper Jack, gruyere, or blue cheese would all be great choices.
Add other toppings: Some other ideas to top your salad are bacon crumbles, diced avocado, salsa, and caramelized onions. The world is your oyster when it comes to customizing this salad!

Storing Leftovers

Even better news, this salad is great to store for leftovers for the next day. We like to store all the components separately to keep them fresh. They store well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat the beef right before serving then build the salad, it will still taste so fresh! If the beef seems dry, add a splash of water to the skillet and it will become good as new in no time.

We don't recommend freezing this salad, it will change the texture of the ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a burger healthier than a salad?

A burger offers protein and fiber as well as a salad. Be sure you salad has enough protein to keep you full. This burger salad is a great option for that.

How do I keep my ground beef mixture from being too dry?

Be sure to add the ketchup and mustard to the mixture. You can also add a splash of water and that helps to moisten the beef.

What is the best cheese to put on a burger?

There are so many different options, we love cheddar, American, pepper Jack, blue cheese, and gruyere.

Is it easy to store a cheeseburger salad?

Yes! So simple and great as leftovers. Store the components separately then rebuild the salad when it's time to serve.

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