BURGER BOWLS
Sweet summertime…brings the promise of backyard cookouts and a grillmaster flipping burgers (or at least Hallmark movies, right?!). Grilled or not, I love a good burger – a classic thick and juicy burger, a thin and crispy smash burger…I’m not too picky.
Enter: burger bowls. No need for a grill, can be meal-prepped for a single or multiple meals, and entirely customizable.
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due: the recipe below was inspired by Lindsay’s (Pinch of Yum) take on burger bowls. After trying hers and then adapting it to my family’s tastes and aligning to my nutrition needs, it’s now on constant rotation at our house!
PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 30 minutes | MAKES: 6–8 servings
WHAT YOU NEED:
2-3 large sweet potatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp ranch seasoning (or a packet of ranch seasoning)
2 lb. ground beef (*see notes for ground beef “leanness” recommendations)
1 Tbsp burger seasoning (*there’s a note below about this, too!)
Your favorite burger toppings – tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles, cheese, etc.
Your favorite sauce
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 425°F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil).
Prepare your sweet potatoes by chopping them into evenly-sized ½ inch-1 inch cubes. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chopped sweet potatoes, olive oil, and ranch seasoning.
Arrange your sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through for even cooking.
To make the beef: heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat; if you have a well-seasoned pan, no oil is needed (if newer skillet or not cast iron, 1-2 tsp of oil or even a spritz of cooking spray will do the trick). Before adding ground beef to the pan, sprinkle half of the burger seasoning on top of the meat.
Place the ground beef, seasoning-side down, into your hot pan. You’ll want to keep the “block” of ground meat as intact as possible, but multiple blocks are expected to fit all meat into the pan at once. Leave it sizzling in the pan for 2-3 minutes to get a nice brown crust. While cooking, sprinkle the remaining burger seasoning over the top side of the meat.
Flip over and create the same browned crust on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Then (I know, I know, you’ll probably be tempted to break apart the meat as it’s cooking but stay strong and commit to the browning! It’s worth it!), after you’ve got a crust on both sides, break apart the meat into smaller chunks. When no pink remains, remove from heat.
Then assemble! Lay down a base of ranch-y sweet potatoes, pile on some seasoned ground beef, and top with whatever amounts of whatever burger toppings your little heart desires. Finish off with a drizzle (or a dump) of burger sauce and dig in!
NOTES:
I use 1 lb. of the leanest I can get my hands on (96/4) and 1 lb. of something less lean (typically 80/20) so that I have a good balance of lean and juicy. If your go-to grocer has something in the middle like 90/10, 2lbs. of that should be great!
This is the burger seasoning that I use, but if you don’t have any in your spice cabinet, you’ve got plenty of other options! You can always just use salt + pepper, and salt + pepper with a dash of paprika will add some additional flavor and dimension. If you want to make your own spice blend, try this:
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional, for an extra kick)
If you go the make-your-own route, you’ll have plenty to save for the next time you make this recipe!
Sometimes I use Trader Joe’s burger sauce, sometimes I make my own. If you want to make yours from scratch, I recommend googling “burger sauce” or “smash burger sauce” and picking the one that sounds best to you and your pantry of ingredients!); macros below show a serving of TJ’s sauce
MACROS PER SERVING (when making 8 servings): 23g P | 17g C | 25g F
YOUR NEXT STEP
Will this recipe make it into your rotation? At Front Porch Nutrition, I coach real people through real-life nutrition — thinking through what your wants, needs, and goals are, and working together to make changes that last not just in the moment, but for the long haul. And oftentimes, that means a quick edit to some of your favorite meals so that they continue to be your favorite and become more aligned with your goals. Get started with 1:1 nutrition coaching today!
