High Protein Loaded Burger Bowls

My take on burger bowls combines crispy seasoned extra lean ground beef with roasted butternut squash (or sweet potato) fries, low calorie burger sauce, and the usual burger toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. The only thing missing is the bun. And thanks to the butternut squash swap, these burger bowls are very macro friendly and perfect for a high protein diet.

The Ingredients and Trader Joe’s Alternatives

I’m always hesitant to make specific recipes with unique Trader Joe’s ingredients, since they tend to sunset fan favorites all the time. But as you can see by this Instagram post from January of 2020, I’ve been using butternut squash zig zags for years.

I figured since everyone has seen a burger bowl, Big Mac bowl, or whatever you want to call them by now, I needed to bring a fresh take. So I air fried some squash zig zags, seasoned the beef with a combination of TJ’s onion salt and Worcestershire sauce, and made a simple burger sauce to go with the usual topping suspects.

Revolutionary? Not so much. Delicious? You bet.

I also happen to be on a roll making simple TJ’s recipes at the moment. Check out my crispy beef knife cut noodle bowls and beefy broth bowls for two more things to make with TJ’s extra lean ground beef and other ingredients.

On the flip side, don’t let access to a Trader Joe’s deter you. These burger bowls can be made with ingredients from anywhere. My turkey burger bowls, for example, use frozen french fries and a honey chipotle sauce on ground turkey. I made sure to include more ingredient swaps in the notes section of the recipe card below.

I’ve seen people add things like caramelized onions and crunchy fried garlic/onion to cheeseburger bowls, and I think those are great ideas. I kept it simple, but you can take this framework and get as creative as you wish.

I hope you have fun and enjoy this butternut squash and ground beef combo. Let me know your thoughts in a recipe review or comment. You can leave any questions you have about the recipe, ingredient swaps, or anything else there as well.

And if you’re looking for more classic burger vibes, check out my Shake Shack and In-N-Out copycats next.

4.67 from 3 votes

Servings: 2 Bowls

Loaded Burger Bowls

By Mason Woodruff

Crispy oniony beef with roasted butternut squash fries, burger sauce, and all your favorite burger toppings in two massive protein bowls. A kinda healthy "burger and fries" fix.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

For the Fries

• ▢ 2 packs (12 oz each) Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Zig Zags, or hand cut fries with butternut squash, sweet potatoes, etc. (see notes for more swaps)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ▢ 1-2 pinches Kosher Salt

For the Burger Beef

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 pound Extra Lean Ground Beef
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Trader Joe's Onion Salt, or a similar seasoning blend
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup Beef Broth or Water

For the Burger Sauce

• ▢ ¼ cup Reduced Sugar Ketchup
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Light Mayo
• ▢ 1-2 Tablespoons Water, to thin as needed

For Serving

• ▢ 8 oz Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• ▢ 4 cups Shredded Lettuce
• ▢ ¼ cup Dill Pickles and Pepperoncini
• ▢ 2 oz Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta, or your choice of cheese

Instructions 

• Make the fries. Toss the butternut squash zig zags in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Air fry for 15-20 minutes at 375ºF, shaking a few times during cooking. Or bake on a parchment lined sheet pan at 425ºF for 30-35 minutes.
• Make the burger beef. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground beef and cook on one side untouched for 2-3 minutes until a nicely browned crust forms. Flip the beef and do the same to the other side. Once browned on both sides, use a spatula to break the beef apart and fully cook. (I like to leave the beef in small bite-size pieces as opposed to completely mincing.) Add the Worcestershire sauce, onion salt, and broth to the cooked beef and cook until no liquid remains, another minute or so.
• Assemble. Mix the burger sauce ingredients together. Add the lettuce to bowls and top with the roasted squash zig zags, burger beef, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, and burger sauce.

Notes

TJ’s onion salt has 75mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. It is made with granulated onion and garlic, salt, dried chives and green onion, and minced onion. Any combination of dried/granulated alliums and salt should do the trick as a replacement.

You can swap the zig zags for homemade fries with sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, carrots, or any other potato replacement. Frozen root veggie fries or regular fries are also options but will add some carbs/calories. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 595kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 59g, Fat: 24g, Fiber: 7g

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