This is one of my favorite meals of all time. Packed with leafy greens, hearty vegetables and protein smothered in a satisfying, tangy burger sauce, this recipe fills you with the nutritious fuel you need as an athlete, but with the satisfying taste of your favorite fast food burger. Plus, it’s endlessly customizable—anything you would find delicious on a burger is fair game!
In this recipe, I include a side of twice-baked crispy potatoes. Potatoes are an excellent complex carbohydrate that gives athletes long-lasting energy. When serving, I like to mix my potatoes in with my salad, but feel free to serve them on the side.
Possible Variations
- Mexican Style—Swap out the burger sauce for your favorite premade queso from the grocery store, and replace the pickles and red onions with black beans, white onions, cilantro and a spoonful of guacamole.
- Spicy—Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the burger dressing and top your salad with jalapenos.
- Barbeque—Swap out the burger sauce for your favorite barbeque sauce. Exchange the red onions for diced green onions and add some corn to the mix as well.
Ingredients
- Frozen burger patties of your choice (1 patty per salad)*
- 3-4 russet potatoes (washed and dried)**
- Pickle chips of your choice (I use classic hamburger style)
- Cherry tomatoes (a handful per salad)
- 1 small red onion
- Leafy greens of your choice (about 1.5 cups per salad. I use kale as it’s hearty and can stand up to the beef and burger sauce)
*Cook the patties however you prefer—grill them, broil them, even air fry them.
**Adjust the potato quantity as needed depending on your preference and how many salads you plan to make. A single serving of roasted potatoes is about half a potato. However, when going through the trouble of making these, I prefer to make extra because they are such a versatile complex carb to have on hand. They make a nutritious and easy addition to tons of other meals (eggs at breakfast, simple chicken and vegetables at dinner, etc.).
For the Sauce
- ½ cup avocado mayonnaise or low-fat mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons relish
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While this happens, cut your cleaned and dried potatoes into small breakfast-sized pieces.
- Place them on a baking sheet drizzled with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper, and lightly toss to coat evenly.
- Place them in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. While these roast, prep your burger salad ingredients.
- Make sure your greens are finely chopped for easy biting. Slice your cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise and finely dice the red onion. Set all of these aside.
- After 30 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven, gently give them a toss with a spatula and set them aside.
- Let the potatoes rest while you cook your frozen burger patties per the instructions on their packaging.
- After the burger patties are cooked, heat your oven back up to 375 degrees and place the potatoes in for an additional 10 minutes to ensure they are nice and crispy. I usually sprinkle some seasoned salt and more black pepper on at this step for extra flavor.
- While the potatoes roast for the second and final time, make your burger sauce. Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon—it couldn’t be easier or more delicious.
- When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and prepare to plate up your fast food burger salad. You can serve the salad deconstructed as pictured at the top of this page, or mix it all together in a bowl.
- Pro-tip: If you’re prepping this salad ahead of time as a packed lunch or dinner on the go, make sure you keep the dressing in a separate container and add it right before eating. This will help keep your greens from becoming soggy.
Enjoy!
