This Big Mac Salad has all the flavor of a classic Big Mac! Seasoned beef, lettuce, pickles, onions, special sauce, and cheese, guilt-free!
I love making this Big Mac Salad recipe when I have a craving for fast food but want to stay lighter and healthier! It is so satisfying and whether you are a Big Mac fan or not this salad will hit the spot for a healthy craving!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This recipe is like a Big Mac in a bowl!
- It uses simple ingredients like lettuce, seasoned ground beef, cheese, pickles, and onions!
- Perfect for using up leftover ground beef!
- Helps to curb unhealthy cravings! It's so satisfying and feels like a treat meal!
Ingredient Notes
- Lettuce: I like a mix of romaine and iceberg for crunch. Feel free to use mesclun mix or baby spinach to make an even healthier bowl.
- Seasoned Ground Beef: I use grass-fed lean ground beef for this recipe seasoned with salt pepper and garlic powder. Feel free to season to your taste.
- Cheddar Cheese: I love sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated. I avoid pre-shredded cheeses due to the addition of preservatives.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds: adding sesame seeds to this bowl pays homage to the Big Mac burger bun and adds some crunch, flavor, and texture.
- Finely Chopped Onions: dicing them really small creates the McDonalds-style experience.
- Sliced Pickles: I use these fermented pickles they are my absolute favorite for the taste and texture but also the probiotics for gut health!
- Special Sauce: this is so easy to whip up with mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish or pickles and seasonings. You can also use Thousand Island Dressing if you prefer.
- Sesame Seeds: adds the perfect garnish to pay homage to the classic Big Mac burger bun but also supplies some healthy protein and nutrients!
How to Make a Big Mac Salad
- Assemble lettuces in bowl.
- Top with ground beef.
- Add cheese and pickles.
- Sprinkle on onions.
- Top with Homemade Big Mac Sauce and sesame seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Big Mac Salad brings all the flavors that you love from the Mcdonald's classic burger into a healthy meal minus the bun. Lettuce is layered with seasoned ground beef, pickles and onions and topped with homemade Big Mac sauce and sesame seeds!
The ingredients for the dressing used in this salad are mayonnaise, ketchup pickles, and pickle juice to create a tangy, creamy, salty, sweet balance of flavors. Other copycat recipes include mustard, vinegar, onion, spices like garlic powder and paprika, and even french dressing. You can play around with ingredients to get your perfect dressing. Some people opt for Thousand
Island dressing for convenience, however, this is not the healthiest option.
This Big Mac Salad Bowl uses all clean and healthy whole food ingredients. The dressing is customizable to suit your dietary and health preferences making it a healthy salad. Using processed ingredients and/or chemical-laden dressing will deplete the nutritional value, making it unhealthy.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have time to make the dressing for this cheeseburger salad you can also use prepared Thousand Island dressing, keep in mind, however, that the recipe won't be as healthy.
- You can thin out the homemade dressing with a bit of water at a time if you like a more runny consistency.
- Components of the salad can be stored separately for 2 -3 days in the refrigerator if you have leftovers. A dressed salad would become too soggy.
- If serving this salad at a party you can place all the ingredients on a platter and provide tongs for a build-your-own salad bar!
You may also like...
Try some of my other salads and dressings:
Roasted Sesame Ginger Dressing
Recipe
Big Mac Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef preferably grass-fed beef
- salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 cups iceberg lettuce chopped
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup dill pickles sliced
- ½ onion finely diced
- 1 batch Homemade Big Mac Sauce
Instructions
- Brown ground beef on medium high heat in a medium sized frying pan. Season with spices and drain if necessary.
- Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan on medium heat, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Wash and chop romaine and iceberg lettuces. Spin with a salad spinner or dry excess water with paper towels and transfer to a large bowl.
- Chop onions, slice pickles and grate the cheddar cheese.
- Prepare Homemade Big Mac sauce and thin with some water if desired.
- Divide lettuces into 4 serving bowls layer on meat, pickles, cheese and onions. Drizzle on the mac dressing with a spoon and then garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
expert tips
- If you don’t have time to make the dressing for this salad you can also use prepared Thousand Island dressing, keep in mind, however, that the recipe won't be as healthy.
- You can thin out the homemade dressing with a bit of water at a time if you like a more runny consistency.
- Components of the salad can be stored separately for 2 -3 days in the refrigerator if you have leftovers. A dressed salad would become too soggy.
- If serving this salad at a party you can place all the ingredients on a platter and provide tongs for a build-your-own salad bar!
Yvonne says
Big Macs have always been my favourite and now I can have a healthier version and still enjoy the same great taste! Made this for me and hubby! He asked when I'm making it again!
Charlotte Singh-Dhanraj says
Oh that's so great to hear Yvonne! My husband loves it too!
Braghan says
I can't wait to make this for lunch! It's like fast food, but much better for my budget!