This recipe is a cross between a burger bowl and loaded nacho fries. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I absolutely ADORE Shake Shack. If you’re not familiar, it’s a burger and shake chain restaurant that uses high-quality ingredients and makes the most delicious burgers, fries, and shakes IMO.
We were inspired to make these Shake Shack bowls (with their special sauce) after a member of the WWL Program requested a Big Mac Bowl. Obviously, I had to stay loyal to my favorite burger chain. And here we are! This meal is so fun.
Get more recipes like this in the Workweek Lunch Meal Prep Program with access to our meal planning tools, grocery list generator, and more. Start a free trial today!
What you can change about this burger bowl
- If you don’t want to make your own fries, you can easily substitute them with frozen fries, tater tots, or hashbrowns
- You can easily swap out the russet potatoes for sweet potatoes. If you don’t want to use potatoes at all, you can eat this in a wrap, pita, or even over pasta!
- Use any type of ground meat you enjoy (beef, turkey, chicken, or even pork). Shredded chicken would work as well!
- To make this meal vegetarian, you can use veggie “meat” crumbles or any type of bean, mushrooms, or crispy chickpeas.
- Our burger toppings lean traditional, but you can use whatever you like! Bacon, avocado, sour cream, jalapeños, grilled onions, mushrooms, and blue cheese are all fair game. Use what you love.
Related: How Long Do Meals Last: A Quick Cheat Sheet
Let’s talk about the sauce
Our burger sauce is a copy cat Shake Shack burger sauce. If you prefer another burger sauce, like Big Mac sauce, make that instead!
These sauces are all super simple to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your fridge!
Or, give this Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing a try…
Ranch Dressing Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried garlic
- ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
- Salt to taste
Ranch dressing recipe via mealpreponfleek
How to get crispy fries
The best way to get your fries nice and crispy in this recipe is to soak them in warm water with salt as the recipe states!
If you want them extra crispy, you can cut them into matchsticks instead of wedges.
You can also use an air fryer for this step if you have one! This recipe details how to make crispy fries in an air fryer.
Related: 25 Delicious Meal Prep Recipes With Ground Beef
Storing & reheating this burger bowl
These burger bowls can last in the fridge for up to four days. They are freezer friendly for up to 6 months, the fries are as well! These keep the best when the base/protein are stored together and the toppings/sauce are stored separately (as pictured below!)
Reheat these in the microwave, on the stove, in the oven, or in the toaster oven. Fries will reheat the best in the oven/ toaster oven or air fryer. Happy Prepping!
Related: 25 Easy Meal Prep Lunches For Beginner Home Cooks
Other recipes you’ll love:
- 20-Minute Ground Beef Pasta With Swiss Chard
- 30-Minute Steak Fajitas
- General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
- Lemon Garlic Orzo & Broccoli Skillet With Sausage
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
Meal Prep Burger Bowls
Ingredients
For the fries
- 2 large russet potato or 4 medium
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
For the burgers
- 12 oz ground beef vegan sub = beyond meat
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
For the burger sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise sub vegan mayo if needed
- 2 TBSP ketchup
- 1 TBSP dijon mustard sub yellow mustard
- 1 tsp rice vinegar sub lemon juice or pickle juice
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne optional
For the fixings (optional)
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 cup Iceberg lettuce chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- Pickles of choice
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese vegan sub = vegan cheese
Instructions
For the fries.
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C) and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Wash your potatoes well and quarter them lengthwise. Cut each quarter into three or four wedges for steak fries. Cut into matchsticks if you want crunchier fries.
- In a medium bowl, add the salt and 1 cup warm water and gently swish together with your hands to dissolve the salt. Add the sliced potatoes and more water until the potatoes are completely covered and let soak for at least 15 minutes.
- After they soak, drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with a clean kitchen towel. In the same bowl, add all of the spices and mix with a spoon. Add the dry potatoes on top, and then top with the vegetable oil. Combine everything with your hands until the fries are well coated in spices and oil.
- Spread the fries in an even layer on the baking sheet (or two) making sure they do not touch.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping the fries with a fork after 15 minutes. Once they are crisp and lightly browned, remove from the oven and set aside.
For the Beef
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef once the pan is hot and add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Cook, breaking apart with your spatula, for 8-10 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
- Drain the pan if needed. Set aside to cool completely.
For the burger sauce:
- combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust flavors as needed! Set aside.
Assemble the meal prep
- Assemble your burger nachos. Divide your fries between three containers, then top with burger meat and shredded cheese. Store your lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and burger sauce separately until ready to eat.
Leave a Reply