Hamburger Bowls with Cheddar, Chimichurri, and Crispy Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients needed to prepare these hamburger bowls

• The chimichurri sauce: This is the chimichurri sauce recipe I've been making for decades. I love it, my husband loves it, our kids love it. So, I make it often and put it on everything. One of the greatest things about this sauce is how easy it is to make. Put everything in the food processor or blender, blitz until it's the consistency you like, and you're done.
• I prefer using sharp cheddar, the sharper the better, for these hamburger bowls. But, use whatever kind of cheese strikes your fancy. Smoked gouda or pepper jack would be delicious.
• The slaw: For the hamburger bowls you see in these photos, I picked up a bag of broccoli and cabbage slaw at our local supermarket. Prepackaged slaw mixes that don't contain any dressing are a huge time saver in this recipe, but it only takes a few minutes to chop the veggies yourself if you prefer. Opt for cabbage only, or add in some diced broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrots, or very thinly sliced bell peppers.
• The dressing: Vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and olive oil are all you need to whip up a simple, flavorful dressing for the slaw.
• The hamburger patties: I like to make one ½-pound burger per person. But the beauty of a recipe like this is that you can make yours whatever size you like. Want them even bigger? Have at it. Want to make them slider-size, like they are at Tap and Burger? Please do.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Follow the recipe instructions to make the chimichurri sauce. If you're moving on to make the hamburger bowls right away, there's no need to refrigerate it. If you're doing some advance prep work, store chimichurri in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Make the slaw: If using a bag of pre-chopped slaw, simply dump it into a bowl. If chopping the veggies yourself, slice and/or shred them into very small pieces. If you have a food processor with a slicing blade, now is a great time to use it. Whisk the simple vinaigrette together, dump it over the slaw, stir to coat, and set aside. Every now and then, give the veggies a stir, to ensure they soak up as much of the dressing as possible.

Shape 2 pounds of ground beef into four thick patties. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with salt and pepper. Heat a bit of oil in a cast iron skillet until it's just starting to smoke. Add the patties to the skillet and cook until the bottom of the patties is brown and crispy.

Flip the patties over and use the back of a spatula to press them down inside the pan. This creates delicious crispy edges.

Note: You don't have to cook the hamburger patties in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron is great at giving the patties a crispy crust. But, any skillet will do just fine, as will a Blackstone Griddle. Or, if you prefer, cook the patties on a BBQ grill.

Place a few slices of cheese over the patties after smashing them down inside the skillet. When the patties have reached the desired level of doneness (see Hamburger Temperature Guide below), remove them to a plate.

To serve, divide the slaw between four bowls or plates. Top each with a cheese-covered hamburger patty and drizzle with a generous spoonful of chimichurri sauce.

Four more quick and easy recipes that start with ground beef

If you, like me, always have a pound or two of ground beef in the freezer, save these four delicious recipes for later.

Four more delicious ways to use chimichurri sauce

I'm not sure there are many things that a spoonfuls of chimichurri sauce doesn't make better. But here are four of my all-time favorites:

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and give it a rating.