This Burger Salad with Grilled Vegetables is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a juicy burger in a nutrient-dense bowl of yumminess. Use any combination of vegetables you like and just grill them alongside your burgers and you’ll have a delicious meal ready in no time.
Healthy Burger Salad
This burger salad has all the flavor of a juicy burger minus the bread. But with a fresh mix of veggies, your favorite sauce, and plenty of seasoning, you won’t miss the bun!
Looking for an easy burger salad dressing? This salad pairs well with my Tangy Mango Vinaigrette!
Why You’ll Love This Burger Salad Recipe
- Low Carb Meal: Enjoy the taste of a burger with a burger bowl. Swap the bread for fresh, vibrant veggies that are even more filling and satisfying.
- Quick & Easy: This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes for an easy, customizable meal. Cook burgers then assemble your salad.
- Delicious: Skip the boring salad. This one is bursting with flavor, texture, and color.
Ingredients for Burger Salad
Burger salad starts with well seasoned beef patties.
For the burgers
- Ground beef: For this burger salad recipe, I am using local wagyu ground beef, but I’ve also used regular ground chuck when making burgers.
- Seasoning: I always season my ground beef with a few pantry staples like onion powder, granulated garlic, parsley flakes, paprika, coarse salt, and black pepper. The coarse salt is a must have and adds so much flavor to the burger patties compared to regular table salt.
For the vegetables
- Mixed salad greens: Use a combination of various leafy vegetables like spinach, arugula, and kale for a nutrient-packed and salad base, providing a diverse range of flavors and textures.
- Baby bell peppers: Deseeded, deveined and cut into halves.
- Zucchinis: Sliced into thin lengthwise slices.
- Carrots: Sliced into thin long slices.
- Olive oil: Tossing the veggies with oil enhances both flavor and texture while contributing heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that aid in the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.
- Coarse salt: Add to taste.
- Salad dressing: Use the dressing of your choice.
- Cooking Spray: For the grill.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make a Burger Salad
Forming the Burger Patties
Confession, I am a perfectionist when cooking and I prefer all my burger patties to be even in weight and shape. I weigh my meat and separate it into 1/4 pound portions, then shape and press them into a hand pie cutter.
To make perfect burger patties. I prep all of my patties then take them to the grill. Do you have a kitchen scale? I highly recommend it. They come in handy for so many things, especially baking when it’s more accurate to weigh dry ingredients than use cup measures. Click here for a scale similar to the one I’ve had for 10 years!
Prepping the Vegetables for Grilling
For this burger salad with grilled veggies, I used a mandoline to slice my veggies into even slices. Mandoline slicers can be dangerous and I recommend always using the hand guard. But they are great for quickly slicing up veggies and make it easy for meal prep. For the zucchini, I used the thick slice option and for the carrots, I used the thin slice blade.
To prepare the vegetables for grilling, I drizzle them with some olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. That’s all these vegetables need to bring out their natural flavor. It takes about 6-8 minutes total to grill these vegetables! Quick and easy and so delicious.
Bringing the Dish Together
Serve your burger patty on a bed of mixed salad greens, drizzle with any dressing you like or if you are like me and enjoy the juiciness of the burger patty, skip the dressing all together. Then fill the rest of your plate with the grilled vegetables. This meal is clean, low carbs and loaded with nutrients. It’s the perfect meal for a hot spring/summer day. It’s also easy to double the portion and prep lunch and dinner for a few days.
Storage
Burger salad is best enjoyed immediately. Store the beef patties separately from the rest of the salad. Store both components in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have salad dressing, store that in a mason jar.
Tips for the Best Burger Salad
- The best burgers are made with ground beef that has a higher fat content. Lean meats tend to dry out on the grill. Check out this article on How to Make the Best Burgers for more information on selecting the right ground beef for your burger patty.
- If you don’t want to form burger patties, simply crumble the ground beef.
- Choose a flavorful dressing to elevate the salad. Consider options like creamy ranch or a zesty balsamic vinaigrette.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Add-Ins: Feel free to add all your favorite burger toppings to this salad: cherry tomatoes, dill pickles, jalapenos, onions, avocado, cheese, and bacon.
- Sauce: Use a mustard-based sauce to play up the burger flavor.
- Meat: Although I love this with the fat from ground beef, you can make a leaner version using ground turkey or veggie burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The common conception is that salads are inherently healthier than burgers but that depends on the ingredients used. Ingredients like the dressing, choice of protein, and croutons can impact the amount of fat and calories in a salad. Alternatively, a burger with a lean meat patty, whole-grain bun, and veggies can be a balanced option.
Most fast food burgers are considered unhealthy because they’re loaded with sodium and preservatives. Making burgers at home is a healthier alternative.
The secret to juicy hamburgers is using high-fat ground beef, such as an 80/20 blend, and avoiding overhandling the meat to maintain its moisture during cooking. Additionally, searing the patties quickly on high heat helps seal in the juices.
Save It For Later
Burger Salad with Grilled Vegetables
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Grill
Ingredients
For the burgers
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
For the vegetables
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 2 cups baby bell peppers approximate amount; deseeded, deveined and cut into halves
- 4 large zucchinis sliced into thin lengthwise slices
- 4 carrots sliced into thin long slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse salt to taste about 1/2 teaspoon
- Salad dressing of your choice
- Cooking Spray for the grill
Instructions
For the Burgers
- Combine all the burger ingredient into a large mixing bowl and mix together well
- Then separate and shape into 4 burger patties. This can be done by forming the separated seasoned meat into balls then pressing flat or by pressing into a hand pie cutter or similar round disk
- Preheat your grill to 450 °F
- Coat grill lightly with cooking spray then add burger patties directly to the grill (do not press into the grill)
- Cook for 4 minutes then flip and cook for another 4 minutes
- Then remove from the grill and let rest for 2 minutes before serving
For the vegetables
- Combine all the vegetables, olive oil and salt in a mixing bowl and mix together well until all the vegetables are coated with oil and salt
- Then place the vegetables directly on a hot grill (450 °F) and grill for 4 minutes then flip and grill for 4 more minutes then remove from the grill
Making the Burger Salad and Grilled Veggies Bowl
- In a plate or bowl add a cup of mixed salad greens and a portion of grilled veggies. Then add the burger on top of the salad greens. Drizzle with your favorite salad dressing and enjoy!
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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