This recipe was inspired by my Smash Burger recipe, which I basically revamped and turned into a bowl! Simple burgers (cooked however you want, though I do recommend the smashing method if you’re up for it!) get served over a bed of crunchy tangy veggies and tomatoes topped with salty potato chips and slathered in my “special sauce”. It is SO good and satisfying!
Ingredient highlight
Beef! Is an extremely nutrient-dense meat with lots of iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium to name a few. Try to buy grass-fed organic (and local if that’s an option) beef when possible.
This is a great article to help you understand what to look for when buying grass-fed beef.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 8 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4-8 slices cheese of choice (American, cheddar, Swiss, etc…)
- 6-8 cups thinly sliced raw veggies*
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes or ripe summer tomato, sliced or chopped
- Potato chips
For the special sauce:
- ¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 2 tsp dijon or yellow mustard
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- *Use any combination of raw crunchy veg (cabbage, fennel, radish, carrot, snap peas, and/or cucumber, etc…)
- Note: ~ I like to divide the patties into 2 (2 oz) patties and make thin crispy smash burgers in a skillet (two patties per person). This is messier and a lot more work, but a lot more delicious – see Smash Burger recipe for instructions.
Instructions
- Form patties to your desired size and sprinkle generously on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Cook your burgers on the grill or pan-fry them in a skillet. Once they are nicely browned or have nice grill marks (about 3-5 minutes), flip them, top with cheese, and let them cook to your desired doneness and until the cheese is melted.
- In a large bowl, add the thinly sliced veggies, vinegar, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and toss to coat.
- To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a medium bowl and mix to combine. If it’s too thick to drizzle, thin it out with a bit more pickle juice.
- Divide the veggie slaw between your bowls and top with burger, tomatoes, potato chips, and plenty of special sauce.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Form the patties
- Slice or chop 1 cup tomatoes
- Thinly slice 6-8 cups cabbage and/or fennel
- Toss veggies in vinegar/salt
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, make my black bean burger patties instead!
- To make vegan, see above + use a vegan cheese or skip it and use a dairy-free/vegan yogurt or mayonnaise alternative. You could also just simply top with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
- Use any ground meat in place of beef.
- Any combination of thinly sliced raw veggie works (cabbage, fennel, radish, carrot, snap peas, cucumber, etc…)
- Skip the tomatoes and sub with another cup of raw veggies.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Burgers: up to 4 days
- Special sauce: up to 7 days
- Veggie slaw: up to 6 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Make an actual burger!
- Make a burger quesadilla or grilled cheese and dip in special sauce.
- Leftover veggies can be added to bowls, salads, or tacos.
- Leftover sauce is great for tacos, quesadillas, or burgers.
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