Loaded Burger Bowls with “Special Sauce” (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)

These loaded burger bowls with pickles, bacon, a quick guacamole, and a “special sauce” are so good! Whole30, paleo, and low carb, they’re filling and healthy – a great alternative to the lettuce wrap burger!

I’m not dainty, but…

I’ve been known to eat my burgers with a knife and fork. Especially low carb lettuce burgers, because, I mean, have you ever had one? Drip city, sister. And then you end up with three pickles and no bacon in one bite, and a full slice of bacon and no pickles in the next. I’m just not about that life when I can have even bites with beautifully distributed ingredients and I can save my sleeves.

Even better, though?

Burger bowls.

What are burger bowls?

I’m so glad you asked! Burger bowls are the burger equivalent of a burrito bowl or taco salad. We take all the really awesome parts of a burger and strip it down, layering heaping portions of typical burger toppings on a bed of lettuce.

Burger bowls marry all the beautiful things about burgers (The savory beef, rich avocado, salty and crispy bacon, briny pickles, and that lightly sweet, creamy sauce!) with a healthier and easier means. You get a bite of everything with every forkful, and there’s no need to hunt for the perfectly leafed lettuce to wrap your burgers in. Nope! Just pile it all into a bowl, and you’re set.

Bonus? Because they include only whole foods, these burger bowls are Whole30-compliant, paleo, and low carb, too!

Why This Recipe Is So Good

• There are so many fantastic flavors in these burger bowls: salty pickles, smoky bacon, sweet and creamy “special sauce,” rich avocado, fresh tomatoes, and erm, oniony onions.
• These burger bowls are mostly prep, and most of the prep can be done while the ground beef browns, making them an easy weeknight dinner recipe.
• They’re Whole30, paleo, and low carb! Add these babies to your Whole30 meal plan, stat.

Patties vs. Crumbles

When I see burger bowls, they’re very often made with patties. I mean, burgers, right? But I thought long and hard about the delivery of the ground beef for these burger bowls, and I opted for crumbled for a few different reasons:

• Crumbled beef stays more tender than beef cooked as a patty and then cut into.
• You’re more likely to get beef in every bite when it’s crumbled.
• It’s easier to properly cook crumbled beef than to cook a patty just right.

I recommend browning and crumbling this garlicky ground beef mixture, but you’re absolutely free to form it into patties, too! Simply form 4 equally sized patties from the beef-garlic powder mixture and cook until medium (Thin pink line) in a little avocado oil in your cast-iron skillet.

Variations

• Swap the ground beef for any other type of ground meat: turkey, chicken, bison, or pork would all work!
• Cook the meat mixture as patties instead of crumbling. See the above section for details.
• Spike your guacamole with lime juice instead of lemon for a Tex-Mex flair. You can include chopped cilantro and red onion, too. Garnish the burger bowls with cilantro if you go this route – mas flavor!

How to Make It

Prep is the biggest step in making these burger bowls. You can prep your toppings before you get started cooking or while the ground beef mixture cooks.

Mix together your beef, garlic powder, and salt. Crumble it in a little oil in a skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through.

Mash together your avocado, lemon or lime juice, and salt, until the desired texture.

Stir together all your special sauce ingredients until smooth; set aside.

The last step is to assemble your burger bowls: start with a bed of romaine lettuce in your serving bowls and top with 1/4 of the ground beef mixture. Divide remaining toppings among bowls, drizzle with plenty of special sauce, and serve!

On our free Whole30 meal plan.

Other recipes you’ll love:

• Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
• Healthy In N Out Burgers: Double Double Animal Style
• Egg Roll in a Bowl with Creamy Red Chile Sauce
• Healthy Lettuce Wraps – PF Changs Style
• Whole30 Chipotle Beef and Avocado Bowls
• Big Mac Salad

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

5 from 54 votes

Burger Bowls (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:15 minutes

Total:30 minutes

Loaded burger bowls with pickles, bacon, a quick guacamole, and a “special sauce”! These low carb burger bowls are Whole30 and paleo, too.

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4 burger bowls

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef any %
• ▢ 4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon avocado or refined coconut oil

For the Bowls

• ▢ 2 small heads romaine sliced, root discarded
• ▢ 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
• ▢ ½ cup pickles plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 cup red onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 8-10 slices bacon cooked 'til crisp and roughly crumbled
• ▢ 2 avocados peeled and pitted
• ▢ ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

For the Special Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut aminos use if on Whole30, see Notes for details
• ▢ 2 teaspoon maple syrup use if not on Whole30, see Notes for details
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• ▢ Pinch crushed red pepper
• ▢ pinch salt

Instructions 

• In a medium bowl, mix together beef, garlic powder, and salt. Heat avocado or coconut oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat, then add beef and brown, crumbling with a spatula or spoon.
• Meanwhile, prepare remaining elements for the burger bowls.
• Make quick guacamole: In a medium bowl, mash together avocado, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Make the special sauce: whisk together all special sauce ingredients, using coconut aminos only if you're on a Whole30 and skipping the maple syrup. If you're NOT on a Whole30, skip the coconut aminos and use the maple syrup only. Set aside.
• When beef is browned and crumbled, remove from skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Add red onions in a single layer and cook until lightly charred on the bottom, then flip. Cook until lightly charred on the second side then remove and repeat until all onions are lightly cooked.
• Assemble: start with a layer of romaine in your serving bowls, then spoon 1/4 of the ground beef mixture into the center. Arrange remaining items around the beef: tomatoes, pickles, red onion, bacon, and quick guacamole. Drizzle with plenty of special sauce and serve.

Notes

• You can swap the lime juice for the lemon juice, if you prefer. I wanted to keep the taste more neutral, but a Tex-Mex flair would be delicious!
• Don’t skimp on the bacon in this recipe! The nicest, thickest cut you can find, the better.
• If you’re on a Whole30, don’t use the maple syrup in the special sauce, only the coconut aminos. If you’re not on a Whole30, skip the coconut aminos and go for the maple syrup. 

 

Whole30 Special Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Whole30-compliant mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Whole30-compliant ketchup
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch salt

 

Non-Whole30 Special Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch salt

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1burger bowl, Calories: 738kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 59g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 115mg, Sodium: 1487mg, Potassium: 1055mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1871IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 4mg, Net Carbs: 16g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik