This loaded burger bowl is my take on a deconstructed Big Mac. And it is damn delicious! To be completely honest, I don't even want a regular burger on a bun anymore, just feed me this salad and I am good. As long as the special sauce is on there, I don't need much else in life. I added a few non traditional ingredients, but they work in this recipe and I know you'll love it too.
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Long before my days as a Holistic Nutritionist, I was a regular at McDonalds. And I am not exaggerating one bit, I was there weekly during high school and even after that. And yeah, my go-to order was either a Quarter Pounder (QP- what is up!?) or a Big Mac. The fries still are beyond delicious and although I haven't had McDonalds in at least 7 years, I'd still eat those fries if the opportunity came up. The reason I don't eat there anymore is because from an ethical point of view, I just can't support it. At the end of the day it is factory farmed meat and sub-par ingredients. And I'd rather just eat this delicious salad.
I am not about demonizing foods one bit. So I hope you don't feel that I am being judgmental about eating McDonalds or other fast food options. It is just that I don't really want to support it and I'd much rather go to a spot that I feel comfortable supporting. With so many options out there, I don't feel the need to go to McDonalds or other fast food spots anymore. Living in Toronto, the options are endless and since learning how to cook, I really prefer to stay in and make my own food.
For this loaded burger bowl, I took a shortcut and went to a local butcher shop and picked up a burger there. In the past, I have made my own burgers and if you want to go this route, you do you. But I wanted something quick and easy and getting a high quality, fresh burger made the most sense.
As for the other ingredients in this loaded burger bowl, I used some traditional ones like tomatoes and onion and lettuce. The rest were straight out of my imagination and ones that I thought would taste great in this burger bowl. So I used things like guacamole, cucumber and watermelon radish. I like a lot of crunch in my salads and so the radish and cucumber are perfect for this. The guacamole provides a nice creaminess to the salad and also, let's be real is there anything avocados can't do? They make a mean chocolate pudding in case you're curious.
When it comes to the special sauce ingredients, it really couldn't be easier to whip this one up. Simply combine some mayo, with ketchup, a few spices and some fresh dill and you have a serious winner. When it comes to using mayo and ketchup, aim to use high quality products made with real food ingredients if you can.
My favourite mayos to use are these brands:
As for ketchup, try and find one that is made with a more natural sugar, such as dates. I like these ones:
This loaded burger bowl also makes an amazing lunch for work, trust me, your co-workers will be so jealous when they see you eating this. If making this as part of your meal prep, just store the dressing separately and then drizzle (aka, dump all of the sauce) on your salad when you're ready to eat.
I hope you enjoy this loaded burger bowl with special sauce as much as I do! If you make it, please let me know by tagging me on Instagram or leaving a comment below.
For the special sauce, I was inspired by the wonderful 40 Aprons, check out her site for all the delicious recipes!
A delicious way to enjoy your next burger, in a salad with this special sauce.
For the Sauce
If making this ahead of time, store the special sauce and salad separately until ready to enjoy.
Depending on the type of ketchup you use, you may need to add a little bit more sweetness to the special sauce. Since I used one made with dates, I didn’t find it needed any. But, if you are using a ketchup without any sugar at all, you may want to add a little bit of maple syrup to the sauce.
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