Ree Drummond's Cheeseburger Salad

Lorraine of AZ's Note:

This is an adaption of a Pampered Chef recipe that's great for the coming hot weather, says Ree. She says, "It's crazy, crazy good." It's similar to a taco salad (it's made with ground meat, cheese and tomatoes on top of lettuce) but the addition of pickles and buttery croutons give it a whole new life. This recipe appears on Ree's blog; I don't believe it has been on her television program yet.

• Total Time: 17 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or 1 tbps. spicy mustard
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 4 whole hamburger buns
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 heads romaine lettuce or 2 heads green leaf lettuce, torn
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, torn
• 4 whole roma tomatoes, diced
• 8 whole dill pickle spears, cubed
• 1 whole red onion, sliced

Directions:

1. Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up. Remove from heat and drain. Add mustards, ketchup, and BBQ sauce and combine well. Taste and add whatever you think it needs, if anything. Cover with foil to keep warm.
2. Cut hamburger buns into 1-inch cubes. Melt 1/4 of the stick of butter (2 tablespoons) in another skillet over low heat. Add the bun cubes and toss to oat. Toast the cubes in the skillet for about 10-12 minutes, adding another 1/4 of the stick of butter every few minutes until you've used the whole stick. This ensures that all the croutons will soak up the butter and toast nicely.
3. To assemble the salads, set out six salad plates. Put some torn lettuce down first. Top with one-sixth of the meat mixture and top with a good amount of cheese. Add diced tomato, pickle chunks, and red onion slices over the top. Sprinkle warm croutons all around the plate.
4. Serve immediately.