This Cheeseburger Salad is a deconstructed version of a drive-thru staple … but with more veggies. Other ground meats like pork, chicken, or even bison can replace the beef. Alternatively, make it a vegetarian salad by using your favorite veggie burger recipe.
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 lb grass-fed organic ground beef
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 8 cups salad greens
- 4 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges
- 1 cup sliced dill pickles
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- In small bowl, place onion slices, lemon juice, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. With your hands, massage onions until tender and pink, about 2 minutes. Chill until ready to use.
- In large bowl, gently combine beef, 1/4 tsp salt, cumin, and black pepper. Shape into 4 patties.
- Build medium-hot fire in charcoal grill or heat gas grill to medium-high and grease grill grate.
- Grill burgers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until internal temperature is 165 F. Re-move burgers from grill, let rest for 5 minutes, and then slice into quarters.
- Divide salad greens among 4 serving plates and top with burger chunks, tomato, onion, pickles, and cheese.
- Stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, and paprika. Drizzle dressing evenly over salads.
Tip:
Flat out
Poke the patties a few times with a skewer so the burgers remain flat during grilling instead of turning into meatballs
Grill master
Follow these tips for grilled salad perfection.
Grate expectations:
A spotless grate goes a long way toward preventing your salad ingredients from sticking. It also helps avoid imparting an unappetizing burnt flavor. The best time to clean the grate, using a long-handled brush, is when it’s piping hot: immediately after you’ve removed your food from the grill or after several minutes of preheating.
Hot stuff:
To tell when you’ve heated a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high, you should be able to hold your hand about 1 inch above the cooking grate for only 3 to 4 seconds before needing to pull it away from the intensity of the heat.
Oil be back:
Greasing your grill grate is another method for sidestepping any sticking. To do so, soak a wad of paper towel in oil, hold it with tongs, and rub it over the hot rack.
Basket case:
A high-sided grill basket is ideal for tossing around everything from cherry tomatoes and bell pepper slices to chunks of eggplant without the worry that they’ll slip through the grate to a fiery death.
Per serving: 440 calories; 30 g protein; 27 g total fat (9 g sat. fat); 20 g total carbohydrates (9 g sugars, 5 g fiber); 619 mg sodium
