#2,711: Cheeseburger in a Bowl

I had leftover burgers from dinner with my inlaws last night, so I decided to grab some lettuce from my garden to make these cheeseburgers in a bowl.  I had some leftover grilled onions and chopped tomatoes, so besides whipping together the dressing (easy), and cutting up some cucumbers (also easy), I had this meal thrown together in about 5 minutes.  The recipe below is for four servings, so I just used a little bit of everything to make one serving for myself for lunch.  It was really good!  I even crushed up a few potato chips (towards the end) to add on top like the recipe suggests, and that was just as good because it gives it a nice crunch (like croutons would in a traditional salad).  I would definitely eat and make this "burger" meal again.

I add a lot more to my burgers though and throw in yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, diced onion, minced garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper.  But my mom literally only uses salt and pepper, so to each his own!  

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing

2 tablespoons ketchup

4 cups shredded lettuce

4 cups torn romaine

1 medium cucumber, finely chopped

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped dill pickles (I used dill pickle relish)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Crushed potato chips, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine beef, salt and pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four 1/2-in.-thick patties.  Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160°.

Meanwhile, whisk salad dressing and ketchup. In a large bowl, toss lettuces with half the dressing mixture; divide among four plates. 

Top with grilled burger, cucumber, tomato, pickles, onion, and cheese. Serve with remaining dressing. Top with potato chips if desired. Yield: 4 servings.