Cheeseburger Salad

Name: Cheeseburger Salad
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef (85/15); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 fresh pitas; 8 slices American cheese; 2 small heads iceberg lettuce; 3 mini cucumbers, finely chopped; 1 shallot, finely chopped; ¼ cup chopped pickles; 2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped (avoid the seeds); Avocado, to serve; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 1 garlic clove, grated; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons pickle juice; 2 pickles, finely chopped; ½ teaspoon salt; Few turns black pepper

Posted:March 9, 2026 | Categories: Recipes | Tags:dinner inspo salad

Cheeseburger Salad

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Author:

Melissa Ben-Ishay

If you’re craving a cheeseburger but want something a little lighter, this is the salad for you. It tastes EXACTLY like a cheeseburger (the secret’s in the sauce). You can add any veggies you have/love, but I stuck with classic tomato/onion/iceberg to keep it close to the original. Get creative with it based on your fave burger. It would also be great with plant-based beef if you’re trying to eat less animal protein!

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Ingredients

For the cheeseburgers

1 pound ground beef (85/15)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 fresh pitas
8 slices American cheese

For the salad

2 small heads iceberg lettuce
3 mini cucumbers, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped pickles
2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped (avoid the seeds)
Avocado, to serve

For the sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pickle juice
2 pickles, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Few turns black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the pitas in half so you have 4 circles. Press ¼ cup beef onto each pita and season each with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (about 1/4 teaspoon of each per pita).
Place the pita on the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
While the burgers are in the oven, make the salad. In a large bowl, combine the iceberg, cucumbers, shallot, pickles, and tomatoes.
Make the secret sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, garlic, mayonnaise, pickle juice, pickles, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to make your perfect sauce—add more pickle juice (or lemon juice) for more acidity, ketchup for more sweetness, mayonnaise to tone things down a little.
Remove the burgers from the oven and place two slices of American cheese over each burger. Return to the oven just until the cheese has melted, about 4 minutes.
When the burgers are ready, cut them into 1” cubes. Place the salad in a bowl, then top with the burger croutons and drizzle with sauce. Add a few slices of avocado just before serving and enjoy.

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