These cheeseburger rice bowls bring the familiar burger toppings together with warm rice and cheesy ground beef. The sauce is quick to mix while the beef cooks, so dinner comes together in about half an hour.

The chopped pickles and pickle juice are the key to the burger sauce. Their acidity cuts through the richness of the beef, cheddar, and mayonnaise and keeps each bowl bright instead of heavy.

Ingredients

Cheesy beef

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for serving

Bowls

  • 3 to 4 cups cooked rice
  • Shredded lettuce
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • Chopped dill pickles
  • Sliced or diced red onion, optional

Burger sauce

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickles or relish
  • 1 teaspoon pickle juice
  • Small pinch garlic powder
  • Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Mix the burger sauce

Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, chopped pickles or relish, pickle juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. Refrigerate the sauce while everything else cooks.

2. Brown the beef and onion

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion together. Break the beef into relatively small pieces and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned and the onion is soft. Drain excess grease if there is a lot.

Add the garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and smoked paprika if using. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and the beef is cooked through.

3. Melt in the cheese

Turn the heat to low, sprinkle the cheddar over the beef, and stir just enough to let it melt into the meat.

4. Build the bowls

Divide the cooked rice among four bowls. Top each with cheesy ground beef, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, chopped dill pickles, and optional red onion. Drizzle with burger sauce and finish with extra cheddar if you like.

Serving note

Keep the lettuce and tomato cool and add them after the hot beef. The pickles and pickle juice in the sauce provide enough acidity to balance the beef, cheese, rice, and mayonnaise.