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These delicious Big Mac burger bowls are the perfect healthy weeknight recipe. Made in just 20 minutes, they’re topped with a simple homemade big mac sauce.
If you love the classic flavors of a Big Mac but want something fresher and healthier, this is the perfect solution. With quickly seared seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and a tangy sauce – it’s everything you crave without the processed ingredients.
This healthy burger bowl is a full meal in one, but is also great served with air fryer diced potatoes and finished with a peach milkshake for dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and fast – An under 30 minute meal with basic ingredients.
- Good ingredients – All the classic flavors of a fast food favorite, but with a great balance of foods to keep you energized.
- Meal prep – These burger bowls store incredibly well, making them easy to meal prep.
This recipe fits a HYH migraine diet, Mediterranean diet, gluten free, and dairy free.
Ingredients
Here are a few details about the ingredients. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card below.
- Ground beef – Use whatever your preference is. 85/15 will give you the most classic flavor.
- Lettuce – Iceberg is classically what is served with burgers, but romaine would also work well here.
- Shallot or onion – I prefer the flavor of shallot in this bowl, but white or yellow onion will also work.
- Pickles – Grillo’s (found at Costco) is my personal favorite for these bowls.
- Cheese – I recommend good quality American cheese, like Boar’s Head or Andrew and Everett, which are typically found at the deli counter.
Burger Sauce
- Ketchup – Whole Foods 365 brand is my usual go to. Look at Fody for onion-free ketchup!
- Mayonnaise – Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo is what I used for recipe testing.
- Dried shallots – These give the best subtle flavor! They are typically found in a bulk spice aisle or you can also order them online. These can be substituted with dried onion, if tolerated, but I prefer shallot.
Substitutions
- Turkey burger bowls – Use ground turkey or chicken. I also highly recommend my chicken teriyaki burgers.
- HYH Diet – Use an onion-free ketchup, like Fody, or plain tomato sauce. Use shallot and no onions. Choose quick pickles like Grillo’s, and American cheese.
- Lightened – Use 93/7 ground beef and use half Skyr yogurt and half mayonnaise for the sauce.
- Dairy free – Leave out the cheese.
How to Make a Burger Bowl
Step 1: Make the burger sauce. Stir all the ingredients together till smooth, taste and adjust any seasonings. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Step 2: Heat a cast iron pan over high heat for at least 2-3 minutes. If using a lower fat beef, add about 1-2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Place ground beef into the hot pan, using a spatula to smash it down into the pan as thin as possible (this will get that classic burger sear). Sprinkle spices top of the beef.
Step 3: Allow it to cook, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until a crust forms on the burger. Flip and cook on the other side another 1-2 minutes. Breaking up the beef as needed. Remove the ground beef from the pan and set aside.
Step 4: To the same pan, turn the heat down to medium low add the shallots, using the leftover juices from the beef to cook them, stirring occasionally till softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Build your burger bowl. To large, flat bowls, add torn lettuce leaves, beef, shallots, American cheese, cherry tomatoes, and pickles. Drizzle the burger sauce on top.
Recipe Tip
While you can make this in a regular pan, using the cast iron allows you to get a high-heat sear on the ground beef. This resembles the classic flavor and texture of a Big Mac, but all in a healthy bowl!
Storage and Reheating
These burger bowls are perfect for meal prep. Here are a few different ways to store them and reheat.
Refrigerator – Burger meat will last in the fridge for 3-5 days. The Big Mac sauce can keep up to 1 week. Keep the components of the bowl separately, specifically the lettuce, burger meat, and sauce. Assemble the morning of for a lunch, keeping the sauce on the side till ready to eat.
Freezer – Burger meat can be frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. I recommend making the sauce fresh.
Reheating – Add the burger meat to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments till warm.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving Big Mac bowls with air fryer french fries. They’re easy to heat in 15 minutes while you cook the burgers.
- Homemade ranch dressing – A great replacement for burger sauce.
- Honey mustard ranch – Mix it up with this alternative sauce.
- Potato chips
- Bibb lettuce salad – Another great base idea.
Ground Beef Recipes
Beef
Beef Protein Bowl
Beef
Baked Sheet Pan Beef Quesadillas
Beef
Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes (without Ketchup)
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Big Mac Burger Bowls
Ingredients
Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4-5 dill pickle rounds, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried shallots
Beef
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 large shallot, thick sliced rings (1/4 inch)
- Avocado oil
Burger Bowls
- 6 cups iceburg lettuce or romaine
- 1 cup shredded american cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh dill pickles
Instructions
- Make the burger sauce. Stir all the sauce ingredients together till smooth, taste and adjust any seasonings. Refrigerate till ready to use.
- Heat a cast iron pan over high heat for at least 2-3 minutes to get it hot. If using a lower fat beef, add about 1-2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Place ground beef into the hot pan, using a spatula to smash it down into the pan as thin as possible (this will get that nice burger sear). Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika on top of the beef.
- Allow it to cook, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until a crust forms on the burger. Flip and cook on the other side another 1-2 minutes. Breaking up the beef into bite sized pieces. Remove the ground beef from the pan and set aside.
- With the same pan, turn the heat down to medium low and add the shallots, using the leftover juices from the beef to cook them. Stir occasionally till softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- To large, flat bowls, add torn lettuce leaves, beef, shallots, American cheese, cherry tomatoes, and pickles. Drizzle the burger sauce on top.
Notes
- Ground beef – 85/15 will give you the best flavor, but use any amount you like. If using a lower fat type, you may need to oil the pan before cooking. Ground turkey or chicken can also be substituted.
- Shallots – I find shallots (fresh and dried) give the best flavor, but onion can be substituted if that’s all you can find. Dried shallots are found in the bulk spice aisle or can also be found online.
- American cheese – Boar’s head or Andrew and Everett are good quality – typically found behind the deli counter. You can shred at home. If you want, melt this on top of the burger meat as it finishes cooking for the final 1-2 minutes in the pan.
- HYH – Use shallots and onion-free ketchup, like Fody, or tomato sauce. Also a good quality mayo like Chosen Foods Avocado Oil mayo.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a keeper!!! We made this for dinner and I was so excited to have something that might taste like I was cheating on my HYH self. This recipe did not disappoint!!! I highly recommend this – I could not find dried shallots, and I come from the home of WEGMAN’S! So order on Amazon – delish! It was quick and so easy to throw together!
WOW! This is SOOO GOOD!! I lowered the sodium a little (I also have Menieres) by using my own homemade no salt dill pickles, lower sodium mozzarella cheese and not adding any salt. This is a KEEPER!!!!
Thanks, Jennie!
This looks amazing, Alicia. I’ll have to check out some veganaise for the sauce since my allergies, but looking forward to it!
Hey! I have an egg free mayo that works too!
An instant family favorite! Loved the sauce. I want to put it on everything like your cilantro sauce!
Another great, easy, last minute kind of recipe that was absolutely delicious! And it is a lower calorie option as well but so filling!!!! Really gives you that fast food fix without the guilt. I made mine with turkey meat as that is what I had on hand. Will be keeping this on rotation!!!!!!