Cheeseburger Salad

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4 Servings

A cheeseburger salad is essentially a cheeseburger — except instead of the bun, you increase the amount of lettuce, tomato, and onions and throw it all in a bowl and drizzle it with dressing. In this case, that dressing is a tangy honey mustard thinned out with pickle brine for the perfect, burger sauce-adjacent topping.

Ingredients

12 ounces frozen french fries (optional)
1 medium red or yellow onion
1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared yellow or Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared yellow or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pickle brine
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
1 medium head iceberg lettuce, or 2 medium romaine lettuce hearts, shredded (about 8 cups)
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup dill pickle chips, coarsely chopped if desired
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Cook 12 ounces frozen french fries according to package directions if using. Meanwhile, peel and halve 1 medium onion. Finely chop half of the onion, and thinly slice the other half.
Heat 1 teaspoon neutral oil in a large skillet over high medium-heat until shimmering. Add the finely chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add 1 pound lean ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and deeply browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
Stir 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard, 2 tablespoons pickle brine, and 1 tablespoon honey together in a small bowl. Taste and season with kosher salt as needed.
Divide 1 shredded medium head iceberg lettuce between 4 bowls. Top with the fries if using, seasoned beef, sliced onions, 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup dill pickle chips. Drizzle with the dressing. Garnish with 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds if desired.