Homemade Burger Cobb Salad

If you ask me, there’s nothing better than turning your favorite comfort food into a salad.

This burger-inspired cobb salad takes everything you love about a good cheeseburger and turns it into a hearty main dish. Seasoned ground beef patties get topped with melted aged cheddar and mixed with crispy bacon and fresh romaine.

The whole thing comes together with a tangy burger sauce made from mayo, ketchup, relish, and a kick of horseradish. Crunchy pickles, thin-sliced onions, and shredded cheddar finish it off.

It’s an easy weeknight dinner that gives you all the burger flavor without the bun, perfect when you want something filling but a little lighter.

What Kind of Ground Beef Should I Use?

For this burger cobb salad, I recommend using 93% lean ground beef since you’ll already be adding bacon to the mix. The bacon brings plenty of fat and flavor, so the leaner beef helps balance things out without making the salad too greasy. That said, if 93% isn’t available, 85% lean will work just fine – you might just want to drain off some of the excess fat after cooking. Whatever you choose, make sure your beef is fresh and has a bright red color without any brown or gray spots, which means it’s been sitting around too long.

Options for Substitutions

This salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so feel free to work with what you have:

• Ground beef: You can use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer a leaner option, though the flavor will be a bit milder. Ground lamb also works great if you want something different.
• Montreal Steak Seasoning: Don’t have this specific blend? Mix together equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a similar effect.
• American Cheese: Swap this for cheddar, pepper jack, or even Swiss cheese depending on what you like. Just make sure it’s a good melting cheese.
• Romaine lettuce: Iceberg lettuce works perfectly here and gives you that classic burger crunch. Mixed greens or chopped cabbage are also fine alternatives.
• French’s onions: If you don’t have these crispy onions, try thinly sliced raw red onion, or even croutons for that crunchy texture.
• Horseradish: If you’re not into horseradish or don’t have any, just leave it out of the sauce. You can add a bit of Dijon mustard instead for some tang.
• Spicy ketchup: Regular ketchup mixed with a dash of hot sauce or sriracha works just fine if you don’t have spicy ketchup on hand.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake when making burger patties is overworking the meat, which creates tough, dense burgers instead of juicy ones – mix the beef, bacon, and seasoning just until combined, then stop.

Another common error is pressing down on the burgers while they cook, which squeezes out all those delicious juices and leaves you with dry patties, so resist the urge to smash them with your spatula.

To keep your burgers from puffing up in the middle, make a small indent in the center of each patty with your thumb before grilling, which helps them cook evenly and maintain their shape.

Finally, don’t skip letting the burgers rest for a few minutes after cooking – this allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you a much better texture when you cut into them over your salad.

What to Serve With Burger Cobb Salad?

This salad is pretty filling on its own since it’s got all the burger fixings, but I love serving it with some crispy sweet potato fries or regular fries on the side for that full burger experience. If you want to keep things on the lighter side, some baked potato wedges seasoned with garlic and herbs work great too. A cold beer or an iced tea is the perfect drink pairing, especially if you’re making this for a casual dinner or weekend lunch. You could also add some sliced tomatoes or avocado on top if you want extra toppings, just like you would with a regular burger.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your burger cobb salad components separate for the best results. Store the cooked beef and bacon together in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep the lettuce and toppings in separate containers so everything stays crisp and fresh. The special sauce will last about a week in the fridge.

Make Ahead: This salad is perfect for meal prep! Cook the beef and bacon ahead of time and portion everything out into containers. Just wait to assemble until you’re ready to eat so the lettuce doesn’t get soggy. You can even prep the sauce a few days in advance.

Serve: When you’re ready to eat, you can enjoy the beef cold straight from the fridge, or warm it up in the microwave for about a minute. Then just toss everything together with your toppings and sauce. If the beef seems a bit dry after storing, add an extra drizzle of sauce to bring it back to life.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1750-1950
• Protein: 95-110 g
• Fat: 140-155 g
• Carbohydrates: 20-28 g

Ingredients

For the burger patties:

• 1 lb 80/20 ground chuck
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp steak seasoning
• 3 slices Kerrygold Aged Cheddar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

For the burger sauce:

• 2 tbsp burger sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp Hellmann’s mayo
• 2 tbsp relish
• 2 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

For the salad assembly:

• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup sliced pickles
• 1/4 cup onions, shaved into paper-thin rounds
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Step 1: Make the Burger Sauce

• 3 tbsp Hellmann’s mayo
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp relish
• 2 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Combine the mayo, ketchup, relish, pickle juice, horseradish, and worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and stir until well blended.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Set aside—this can be made up to a day ahead, which I like to do since it gives the flavors time to meld together beautifully.

Step 2: Prepare the Salad Components

• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup sliced pickles
• 1/4 cup onions, shaved into paper-thin rounds
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place the chopped romaine lettuce in a large bowl.

Arrange the sliced pickles, shaved onions, and shredded cheddar cheese on top in rows, creating the classic cobb salad presentation.

Set aside until ready to serve.

Step 3: Form and Season the Burger Patties

• 1 lb 80/20 ground chuck
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp steak seasoning
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

In a bowl, combine the ground chuck, cooked and chopped bacon, steak seasoning, and smoked paprika.

Mix gently with your hands until just combined—don’t overwork the meat or the burgers will become tough.

Divide into two portions and shape each into a 2-inch thick patty.

Make a slight indent in the center of each patty with your thumb to prevent them from puffing up during cooking.

Step 4: Cook the Burgers and Melt the Cheese

• 2 burger patties from Step 3
• 3 slices Kerrygold Aged Cheddar

Heat a grill or skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes per side for medium doneness, resisting the urge to press down on them.

During the last minute of cooking, place one slice of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar on each patty and cover to let the cheese melt.

I like to save one slice of cheese to crumble over the top for extra richness.

Let the burgers rest for a minute before breaking them into bite-sized chunks.

Step 5: Assemble and Serve the Cobb Salad

• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce with toppings from Step 2
• burger chunks from Step 4
• burger sauce from Step 1

Top the prepared salad from Step 2 with the warm, chunked burger pieces.

Drizzle with the burger sauce from Step 1 (use about 2 tablespoons, or to taste), then toss everything together gently so the warm burger pieces wilt the lettuce slightly while the sauce coats all the components.

Serve immediately while the burgers are still warm.

Homemade Burger Cobb Salad

Delicious Homemade Burger Cobb Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 1850

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the burger patties:

• 1 lb 80/20 ground chuck
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp steak seasoning
• 3 slices Kerrygold Aged Cheddar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

For the burger sauce:

• 2 tbsp burger sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp Hellmann's mayo
• 2 tbsp relish
• 2 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

For the salad assembly:

• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup sliced pickles
• 1/4 cup onions, shaved into paper-thin rounds
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method

 

1. Combine the mayo, ketchup, relish, pickle juice, horseradish, and worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and stir until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside—this can be made up to a day ahead, which I like to do since it gives the flavors time to meld together beautifully.
2. Place the chopped romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Arrange the sliced pickles, shaved onions, and shredded cheddar cheese on top in rows, creating the classic cobb salad presentation. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. In a bowl, combine the ground chuck, cooked and chopped bacon, steak seasoning, and smoked paprika. Mix gently with your hands until just combined—don't overwork the meat or the burgers will become tough. Divide into two portions and shape each into a 2-inch thick patty. Make a slight indent in the center of each patty with your thumb to prevent them from puffing up during cooking.
4. Heat a grill or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes per side for medium doneness, resisting the urge to press down on them. During the last minute of cooking, place one slice of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar on each patty and cover to let the cheese melt. I like to save one slice of cheese to crumble over the top for extra richness. Let the burgers rest for a minute before breaking them into bite-sized chunks.
5. Top the prepared salad from Step 2 with the warm, chunked burger pieces. Drizzle with the burger sauce from Step 1 (use about 2 tablespoons, or to taste), then toss everything together gently so the warm burger pieces wilt the lettuce slightly while the sauce coats all the components. Serve immediately while the burgers are still warm.