Do you sometimes find yourself craving a burger?

Then, you work really hard to tell your brain to push that craving aside, telling yourself, “burgers aren’t healthy…I should really eat a salad instead.”

What if you could have both?!

Believe it or not, burgers can absolutely be healthy – we even wrote a coaching tip on how a burger can be even healthier than a salad!  So, there’s no need to give up burgers (or pizza for that matter)!

A couple weeks ago, we came upon the idea of a “burger in a bowl!”

Keep in mind, we LOVE a good juicy quality burger.  And the right bread or bun and toppings can definitely take the flavor and texture to another level.  Sometimes, though, the bun can get in the way of all the flavors of the meat, veggies and other toppings.  And, let’s face it, a lot of those buns you buy at the store – and especially the ones you find at concession stands and many restaurants – really aren’t good for you.

Think outside of the typical bun!

Through our REAL food journey, we have discovered a variety of ways to let the flavors of the burger (and other sandwich) ingredients shine through — and amp up the nutrition at the same time.

Some of these ideas include:

• Instead of a bun, serve the burgers in a whole grain pita (like the Feta Stuffed Lamb Burgers) or on a whole grain English Muffin (like the Green Chile Turkey Burgers or the Greek Style Turkey Burgers).  The pitas and English Muffins tend to be less dense, allowing you to get the best of the flavors of the burgers and toppings.  We have found thinly sliced whole grain sourdough bread as another great option.
• Serve the burger open-faced (like the Banh Mi Burger or the Guinness-Marinated Bison Steak Sandwiches).
• Wrap it in greens (like the Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps or the Sweet Potato Collard Green Wraps).
• Get the best of a burger and a salad in one meal (like the Asian Turkey Burger Salad).

Why a burger bowl?

We thought the idea of a burger bowl would be a delicious and convenient way to enjoy all the flavors of the burger without the bun.  The best news is that we found out it’s super-easy to transform just about any burger into a “burger in a bowl!”

Of course, before sharing this idea with all of you, we had to test it out!

We did three transformations including:

Banh Mi Burger.

You may have seen our Banh Mi Burger Bowl in the meal ideas last Thursday.  And you may have seen this in one of our recent “What do we eat?” videos.

The evening we made it, Scott and I had mixed everything together in our bowls and took about two bites.  We stopped, looked at each other, and both said, “Are you kidding me?  This is amazing!”  And, it was easy to prepare!  All you do is quick pickle your veggies (which can be done ahead of time), then quickly make Sriracha “mayogurt,” brown your ground beef, and put it all together!  We included some brown rice in ours, which added a nice texture, and served it on a bed of fresh greens.  We highly recommend topping it with fresh herbs like basil or cilantro.  This was definitely “website worthy” and we will be craving it again very soon!

Need a Napkin Burger.

Did the Need a Napkin Burger Bowl satisfy our burger and fries craving?  Yes, we were completely satisfied and, like the Banh Mi Burger Bowl, it was super easy to put together.  We cooked some quinoa and, while the quinoa was cooking, roasted some sweet potatoes, sliced onion and a jalapeno.  While the veggies were roasting, we made the sauce and browned the ground beef.  Then, we put it all together and topped it with some pickles, cherry tomatoes and avocado.  Really delicious!

Mediterranean Burger.

We transformed this into a Mediterranean Veggie Burger Bowl, and it was also a fantastic combination of flavors!

We roasted some mushrooms and red onions, along with some potatoes that we cut into fries and added the seasonings from the Greek Inspired Baked Fries.  While they were roasting, we made the Tzatziki Sauce from the Middle Eastern Nachos.  Once everything was done, we put it all together on a bed of fresh greens and topped it with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and sliced cucumbers.  We mixed everything together in our bowl and enjoyed our veggie burger and fries meal loaded with flavor and nutrients!

Are you also intrigued?

Try one of these ideas or come up with your own!

We can’t wait to hear (and see your photos) on how you create a bowl of your favorite burger flavors and ingredients!