This Naked Burger Salad Bowl is a fan favorite. It’s got lettuce, tomato, pickled red onions, cheese, dill pickles and tater tots all dressed in an irresistible special burger sauce! It’s an easy to prepare recipe and I know you’re going to love it!

Today, I’m sharing one of my favorites guys, a Naked Burger Salad Bowl. Have you ever heard of one? I saw it on a menu at a local restaurant way back, tried it and loved it.
There’s so much goodness in this burger bowl, so you’ll never miss the burger bun!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
I don’t even know where to start! Juicy ground beef seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning. A special burger sauce that’s ah-mazing. Crispy tater tots. Pickled red onions that are so easy to make. Shredded Cheese and all the salad fixins’ that make this bowl a hearty meal you’ll want to enjoy again and again.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 80/20 ground beef
- olive oil
- Montreal Steak Seasoning
- romaine lettuce
- tater tots
- grape tomatoes
- Colby Jack cheese (use your favorite)
- pickles
- sesame seeds (optional)
- burger sauce
- pickled red onions
I like to use 80/20 ground beef for my burgers so they’re nice and juicy. I also love the added Montreal Steak seasoning because it gives the beef such great flavor. You can find it the spice aisle of your local market.
My cheese of choice for this burger bowl is Colby Jack, but feel free to add whatever cheese is your favorite. Just make sure you buy the brick of cheese and freshly shred it because it’s so much better that way.
Any leftovers of the special burger sauce and pickled red onions will keep in your fridge in airtight containers and the sauce will last for about a week and the onions for three weeks.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The first step will be to make your pickled red onions. It’s such an easy recipe.
You’ll slice your onions thin and place in a jar with a lid. In a small saucepan you’ll stir together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and water. Cook on medium high heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Pour the hot mixture over the onions in the jar and cover with the lid and shake the jar.
You will want the onions marinate for two hours at room temperature. Make sure the onions are submerged in the liquid.
The second step will be to make your special burger sauce. In a medium bowl, you’ll combine your mayo, ketchup, dill pickle relish, yellow mustard, granulated sugar, paprika and onion powder and whisk until smooth.
You’ll transfer the sauce to a jar with a lid or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
The third step will be to bake your tater tots according to the package directions. While your tater tots are baking, you’ll make your burger meat. You have a few options here.
I like to add my oil to a large skillet over medium high heat and then add in my ground beef and use a spatula to press the meat down into one large thin-ish pattie. Sprinkle the top with some of the seasoning. Do not attempt to turn the pattie until the bottom is a bit crispy. This will vary with everyone’s individual stovetop, so just keep an eye on it and flip it when you think it’s ready and to your liking.
It really won’t matter if the pattie breaks apart a bit because you will be diving the meat into two bowls.
You can also opt to add the ground beef to your skillet, sprinkle it with the seasoning and break it up with a spatula as it cooks, kind of like when you make taco meat. Then you’ll add the crumbles to your bowls.
You can also make two burgers out of the meat, so 1/2-pound each, sprinkle them with the seasoning and cook them to your desired doneness and add to your bowls.
There’s no right or wrong way here. Do it the way you prefer.
The last step is to assemble your burger bowls. I like to make my romaine lettuce the base of the bowl, then top with all the remaining ingredients and drizzle with the special burger sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
You can really add as much of each bowl ingredient that you desire. I gave the amounts that I used, but if you prefer more pickles, less tomatoes, more cheese, whatever, you do what you enjoy.
It’s such an easy and delicious lunch or dinner guys. I hope you enjoy these satisfying bowls as much as I do!
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Naked Burger Salad Bowl
This recipe is really what you want to make it. The ingredients for the bowl are not exact. Add the amounts that you desire to each of your bowls.
The one pound ground beef is enough for two hearty bowls. Add as much of the other ingredients that you desire.
The burger sauce and pickled red onion ingredients are exact, but feel free to add as much of each to your bowls and refrigerate the remainders for later.
More Delicious Burger Recipes to Enjoy
Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayo
Naked Burger Salad Bowl
Print RecipeIngredients
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup water
Special Burger Sauce
- 3/4 cup good mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp. ketchup
- 3 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
- 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. onion powder
Naked Burger Bowl
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef, I use 80/20
- 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 9 oz. bag chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup pickle slices, dill or sweet
- 1 1/2 cup freshly shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- 30-40 pieces tater tots, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
Pickled Red Onions
- Slice onions thin and place in a jar with a lid. Set aside. In a small saucepan, stir together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and water. Cook on medium high heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Pour the hot mixture over the onions in the jar and cover with the lid and shake the jar. Let the onions marinate for two hours at room temperature. Make sure the onions are submerged in the liquid. Serve or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Special Burger Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a jar with a lid or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Naked Burger Bowl
- Bake your tater tots according to the package directions. While your tater tots are baking, you'll make your burger meat. I like to add my oil to a large skillet over medium high heat and then add in my ground beef and use a spatula to press the meat down into one large thin-ish pattie. Sprinkle the top the seasoning. Do not attempt to turn the pattie until the bottom is a bit crispy. This will vary with everyone's individual stovetop, so just keep an eye on it and flip it when you think it's ready and to your liking.It really won't matter if the pattie breaks apart a bit because you will be diving the meat into two bowls.
- The last step is to assemble your burger bowls. I like to make my romaine lettuce the base of the bowls, then distribute half of the tomatoes, pickles, shredded cheese, tater tots and some of the pickled red onions into each bowl, finishing with some of the special burger sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve with the extra special burger sauce.















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