Deconstructed Burger Salad

This deconstructed burger salad is full of the delicious burger flavors without the bread. A simple dinner idea the whole family will love.

It’s hard to turn down a big, juicy hamburger…but sometimes I want the flavors of a delicious burger without all of the bread and carbs. Over the last year, I’ve changed my eating habits (because metabolism is slowing down) and I don’t eat much bread anymore. I still love my carbs, but I would rather eat them in my fruit, vegetables and grains instead.

This deconstructed burger salad is a great way to satisfy my hamburger craving, but perfect for a low carb meal. And my husband and kids love it too!

How to Make Deconstructed Burger Salad

I always start with putting the hamburger meat in a skillet to cook. We like to buy our meat in bulk locally so our freezer stays fully stocked, but that means if I don’t remember to move it to the refrigerator then the meat is still frozen. With the meat still in its packaging, I place it under hot running water for a minute to make it easier to remove. Then I put it in the skillet and cover it on medium heat.

Next, it’s time to prep the remaining ingredients. First up, I like to do the lettuce so that it has time to be washed and dried. For this recipe, I prefer to use romaine hearts. They have a lot more crunch to them so it is easier for my kids to get the bites on their fork. Just grab a cutting board, and chop into bite size pieces. Definitely make sure to wash it thoroughly!

How to Wash the Lettuce

Once the lettuce is chopped, I put it in a glass bowl and fill it with water, adding a capful of Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak. Just rinsing with water is not enough to get all of the germs and bacteria off!

The Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak is a natural, non-toxic way to clean your fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to worry about any toxic chemicals, and you only need to use a small amount to clean them well. Cleans off germs, waxes, parasites, chemical residue, etc.

After the lettuce has soaked for 1-2 minutes, drain into a colander and rinse. Or, to make it easier to remove the water, I like to drain it into the interior basket of my salad spinner. Then I rinse with water, put the basket back in the salad spinner, and spin to remove all of the excess water. Or pass it off to one of my children who love to spin the lettuce, lol.

Prep the Rest

Now that you washed the lettuce, do a quick check on the hamburger meat. Flip it, stir it, and chop it into small pieces until it is cooked all the way through. Then, drain the fat. Once the fat is drained, add all of the seasonings, plus the Worcestershire and water. Stir well to mix. Keep it on low heat while you prep the remaining ingredients.

The final step is building your bowl or plate. So, grab yours and add a layer of romaine lettuce. Top it with a scoop or two of hamburger meat (I typically do 4-5 oz for myself). Finally, it’s time to add your “burger toppings”.

Topping choices will vary depending on what you typically choose to put on your burger. Our family usually goes for shredded cheese, dill pickles, tomato, avocado, and all topped with salad dressing. Thousand Island dressing is my preference because it reminds me a little of the flavor of ketchup, but my husband prefers to use ranch dressing.

My kids really enjoy this meal as well. I find that they usually want the additional carbs, so I do like to add a slice of buttered bread on their plate.

Deconstructed Burger Salad Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of hamburger meat
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• Romaine lettuce
• Various toppings: shredded cheese, dill pickles, tomato, avocado, bacon, onion, jalapeño, etc.
• Store bought or homemade salad dressing (Thousand Island or Ranch)

Deconstructed Burger Salad Instructions:

1. In a skillet, brown the hamburger meat until fully cooked. Drain the fat.
2. Add the paprika, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, and water. Stir well to mix and leave on low heat.
3. Chop the romaine lettuce and wash it well.
4. Prepare the toppings for your deconstructed burger salad. Toppings vary based on your own preferences.
5. Build your salad. Start with the lettuce and top with the hamburger meat. Then, add shredded cheese, and follow with the remaining toppings.
6. Finally, top it all with your preferred salad dressing.

Recipe Variations:

• Use any type of lettuce that you prefer. I typically go for romaine hearts because they are nice and crispy, and easy to chop up on a cutting board.
• The topping choices are all up to you. Anything you like to eat on a burger, you can choose to add to your deconstructed burger salad. Onion, jalapeño, etc.
• Make your own salad dressing instead of using store bought.
• To add a different texture and richness to the salad, try cooking your onions in butter as a topping.
• Ditch the salad dressing and top with an over easy egg or two.

How to Store:

We don’t typically have a lot of this meal left over. The amount is just about perfect for our family. But if we do have any left, I like to store the lettuce in a plastic bag with a paper towel inside to soak up the moisture. This helps the lettuce not wilt as quickly. Any remaining hamburger meat I store in a glass container. The other ingredients I slice to serve immediately, so there are not any extras laying around.

More Simple Dinner Ideas:

• Italian Zucchini Boats
• Oven Baked Tacos
• Greek Chicken Bowl
• Creamy Bacon Asparagus Pasta

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• Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak
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