High-Protein Burger Bowl
Per serving (1 bowl, a quarter of the batch)
How I calculate this → Protein calculator →
10g of protein per 100 calories, more than 19 of the other 27 dinner recipes here.
This bowl is everything I like about a cheeseburger without the bun: seasoned beef, cheese, pickles, fresh vegetables, and a creamy burger sauce. It makes a filling dinner and keeps the carbs fairly low.
Why you'll love this
- 45g of protein per serving from lean ground beef, cheddar, and a Greek yogurt sauce
- Everything you'd put on a cheeseburger, without the bun, at 11g of carbs per serving
- One skillet for the beef, and the sauce stirs together while it cooks
Recipe
High-Protein Burger Bowl
Ingredients
Instructions
- Stir 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder with the onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a small dish.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and press it into an even layer, then leave it alone for 3 to 4 minutes so the bottom browns.
- Break the beef into crumbles, sprinkle the seasoning over it, and keep cooking, stirring now and then, for 4 to 5 minutes, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Tip off any fat left in the pan.
- While the beef cooks, whisk the Greek yogurt, mustard, ketchup, 2 tablespoons of chopped pickles, pickle brine, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder in a small bowl. Add a little more brine if you want it thinner.
- Divide the romaine between 4 bowls. Top with the beef, tomatoes, red onion, the rest of the pickles, and the cheddar, then spoon the burger sauce over the top.
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Small mixing bowl
Notes
- I like the beef with some crispy browned edges, so don't rush the first few minutes. Let it sit in the pan before you break it up.
- I like the sauce tangy and pickle-forward rather than sweet. If yours tastes too sweet, stir in a little more mustard or pickle brine. The macros don't count the extra, which adds very little.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 440 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 45g |
| Carbs | 11g |
| Fat | 24g |
| Fiber | 3g |
Where these numbers come from
I calculate every figure above from USDA FoodData Central, ingredient by ingredient, then divide by the servings the recipe makes. Each FDC number links to the exact USDA entry I used. How I calculate nutrition
- Lean ground beef: FDC #171793 (Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, patty, cooked, pan-broiled), 25.21g protein / 204 kcal / 10.68g fat per 100g. 1.5 lb raw (680g) scaled to a 75% cooked yield for ground meat = 510g cooked.
- Garlic powder: FDC #171325 (Spices, garlic powder), 1 1/4 tsp = 3.9g (FDC: 1 tsp = 3.1g). Onion powder: FDC #171327, 1 tsp = 2.4g. Smoked paprika: FDC #171329 (Spices, paprika), 1 tsp = 2.3g. Salt and pepper not counted.
- Romaine: FDC #169247 (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw), 8 cups = 376g (FDC: 1 cup shredded = 47g).
- Cherry tomatoes: FDC #170457 (Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average), 1 cup = 149g.
- Red onion: FDC #170000 (Onions, raw), 1/4 cup = 40g (FDC: 1 cup chopped = 160g). No separate red-onion entry in FDC.
- Dill pickles: FDC #168558 (Pickles, cucumber, dill or kosher dill), 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped = 89g (FDC: 1 cup chopped = 143g). Pickle brine not counted.
- Cheddar: FDC #173414 (Cheese, cheddar), 1 cup shredded = 113g.
- Greek yogurt: FDC #170894 (Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat), 3/4 cup = 170g (227g per cup, the site's standard from the Fage Total 0% label).
- Yellow mustard: FDC #172234 (Mustard, prepared, yellow), 1 tbsp = 15g. Ketchup: FDC #168556 (Catsup), 1 tbsp = 17g.
- Batch totals: 180.5g protein, 1,767 kcal, 95.4g fat, 45.5g carb, 13.4g fiber; divided by 4.
Storage
Store the cooked beef, the burger sauce, and the chopped vegetables in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator, and build the bowls when you’re ready to eat. Cooked meat keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 6 months in the freezer, per the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart. Reheat the beef in a skillet or the microwave before topping the greens.
FAQ
Can I use a different ground meat?
Yes. Ground turkey or a leaner beef both work with the same seasoning. The macros on this recipe are calculated for 90/10 ground beef, so a different blend will change the numbers.
What’s in the burger sauce?
Greek yogurt, yellow mustard, a little ketchup, chopped dill pickles, and pickle brine. It plays the part of a burger sauce, and the yogurt adds about 4g of protein per serving.
Can I meal prep it?
Yes, if you store the parts separately. Keep the beef, the sauce, and the chopped vegetables in their own containers and assemble right before eating so the lettuce stays crisp. Cooked meat keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, per FoodSafety.gov.
More bowls are in High-Protein Bowls, and the egg roll in a bowl is another low-carb skillet dinner.
Lean ground beef is the protein here, and High-Protein Meats compares 90/10 beef with leaner cuts, ground turkey, and chicken.
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