Easy Southwest Burger Recipe + Food Prep Inspiration

This spicy, juicy, veggie-packed, easy southwest burger recipe will taste great on a salad as well as on a traditional bun. But I recommend trying out the salad with some corn salsa because it’s freaking delicious. Also…why not put a burger on a salad?

Food Prep Inspiration

I had this coworker back in Minnesota when I first started at the café who was super into clean eating and body building and would count her macros and all that jazz. She would always bring in her own food (even though we had plenty at the café). I was always curious to see what she would make. 

The most interesting meal she brought?

Burger patties on a salad.

Say what?

Basically, she used the burger just as a protein like chicken (or whatever else we think of as a “healthy” salad protein) to put on top of salads or eat alongside her veggie mixture.

It was so simple, but it made me think differently about burgers. You can really put them on anything!

Want to hear about something else I had never personally tried (to my knowledge)?

Putting stuff into a burger patty. I mean, other than putting spices on the outside. I knew it was possible, of course, but I finally tried it when I saw this recipe from Lindsay’s over at The Lean Green Bean. 

I even decided to put guacamole in this burger. Mind=blown.

Easy Southwest Burger Recipe

I kind of forgot about the concept of a burger on a salad until Dave and I were experimenting with these burgers and I decided that to help clean out the fridge that week (one of the zillion times we were going back to Nebraska for some family event or another), I would eat it on a salad. With some corn salsa. And it was ah-mazing!

 

I got so addicted to the idea that I think I ate a burger salad 1-2 times per day until they were all gone.

We whipped up these burgers again, but this time, I decided to freeze half to take to the Daddio’s house (so I wouldn’t be eating fast food the entire weekend I stayed).

It turns out they do pretty well frozen. Even up to a couple of months.

So when you do try out this delicious southwest burger recipe, I’d love it if you would snap a photo for social media and tag #imasemihealthnut so I can see it! It tickles me pink (<-wasn’t that a crayon color?) when you guys make my recipes!

[Tweet “I definitely need to try this Southwest Burger on a salad! #imasemihealthnut”]

In Other News…

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I bought a bunch of stuff for foodie photography at the Daddio’s house. I figure if I’m going to be here for a couple of months…might as well set up shop here! And it was so freaking fun to get excited about making recipes and getting my fancy camera back out because it’s probably been over two months. Too. freaking. long!

I’m kind of giddy to get back in the kitchen. Even if it isn’t MY kitchen.

You also might note there are watercolors and brushes in the cart. That’s because I’m getting back into other creative things again. And it feels so good!

You might also like:

Sweet + Spicy Burger with Chipotle Hummus

Healthy Veggie Burger with Only 6 Ingredients

Corn Guacamole with a Zing

Tell me…

Have you ever had a burger patty on a salad?? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve put on a salad?

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