🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4)
Burger Base
- 1½ lbs ground beef (80/20 for best flavor)
- Salt & black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Veggie Layer
- 2 cups chopped lettuce (add after cooking)
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- 1 cup diced pickles
Cheese
- 4 slices cheddar or American cheese
Special Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sugar-free ketchup (or regular)
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp pickle relish
- ½ tsp paprika
🔪 Instructions
1️⃣ Preheat
- Oven: 400°F (200°C)
- Grill: Medium-high heat
2️⃣ Make the sauce
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Chill until ready.
3️⃣ Prepare foil packs
Lay out 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil.
Divide ground beef into 4 loose balls. Place one in each foil pack and smash flat (thin = crispier edges).
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Top with diced onions.
4️⃣ Seal & cook
Seal tightly.
- Oven: 15–18 minutes
- Grill: 10–15 minutes
Open carefully and top each patty with cheese. Leave open and cook 1–2 more minutes until melted.
5️⃣ Build the bowl
Add chopped lettuce to each pack (or transfer to a bowl).
Top with cooked smash burger, tomatoes, pickles, and drizzle generously with special sauce.
🥗 Make It Low-Carb / Keto
- Skip ketchup or use sugar-free
- Add avocado slices
- Serve over shredded cabbage instead of lettuce for extra crunch
🔥 Flavor Twists
- Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl – Add crispy bacon
- BBQ Burger Bowl – Swap sauce for sugar-free BBQ
- Mushroom Swiss – Add sautéed mushrooms + Swiss cheese
- Big Mac Style – Extra lettuce, pickles, and sauce