Big Mac Salad

Enjoy the classic flavors of a Big Mac in salad form! This hearty Big Mac Salad is loaded with fabulous flavor, perfect for lunch or dinner, and tastes amazingly like its burger inspiration -- all without that signature sesame seed bun.

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Raise your hand if you love a Big Mac! -- And, know that I'm right there with you.

Loaded with ground beef, shredded cheese, and chopped pickles all topped with "special sauce" dressing, those classic Big Mac flavors come together to create this hearty Big Mac Salad. It tastes amazingly like its burger inspiration, in fun salad form. 

Prep the salad components in advance to have them on-hand at-the-ready for easy meal prep. Then whip them out to assemble a perfectly tasty lunch or dinner, or even a hearty afternoon snack.

Big Mac Salad tastes amazingly like its burger inspiration, in fun salad form.

No matter when you choose to enjoy it, a Big Mac Salad delivers up fabulous Big Mac flavor, all without that signature sesame seed bun.

What's to Love About This Recipe?

• Hearty - Loaded with ground beef, cheese, and chopped pickles, this is one hearty salad, for sure.
• Lower carb option - A Big Mac salad isn't no-carb because of the dressing, but it does bring on the classic Big Mac flavors while dropping that signature sesame seed bun.
• Fabulous flavor - "Special sauce" dressing, ground beef, pickles, and cheese combine to deliver up fabulous Big Mac flavor.
• Great for advance meal prep - Prep all the salad components in advance and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble your salads at meal time.
• Perfect for lunch, dinner, or snack - Pack it up for lunch, enjoy it for dinner, or even have a Big Mac salad for snack! It's perfect for anytime you'd like to enjoy it.

Big Mac Salad Ingredients:

It doesn't take a ton of ingredients to replicate those Big Mac flavors in tasty salad form. -- Just 3 simple ingredients for the "special sauce" dressing, and 6 ingredients for the salad itself.

For the "special sauce" dressing, you'll need:

• Thousand Island dressing - Forms the base of the "special sauce," bringing that signature Big Mac flavor to the salad.

• White vinegar - Cuts the sweetness of the Thousand Island dressing, making it taste more authentically like a Big Mac.

• Onion powder - Also cuts the sweetness of the Thousand Island dressing and nicely seasons the "special sauce."

For the salad itself, you'll need:

• Ground beef - Recreates the burger part of the Big Mac, and serves as the hearty main component of the Big Mac salad. Season the beef with salt and pepper before browning to enhance its flavor.

• Onion - Cooked alongside the meat, diced onion nicely flavors the ground beef.

• Romaine lettuce - Shred the Romain lettuce to mimic the shredded lettuce topping of a classic Big Mac.

• Kosher dill pickles - It's not a Big Mac without pickles! Choose kosher dill pickles for the best flavor. Since the pickles are chopped for the salad, either whole kosher dills or slices work just fine.

• Shredded cheddar cheese - We recommend mild or medium cheddar cheese, instead of sharp. Grate your own for the best texture and taste.

• Sesame seeds (optional) - As we all know, a Big Mac is served with a sesame seed bun, of course!

How to Make a Big Mac Salad:

To make a Big Mac Salad, start by preparing the "special sauce" dressing. Simply stir together some Thousand Island dressing, white vinegar, and onion powder. The vinegar and onion powder cut down the Thousand Island's sweetness and make it taste more authentically like Big Mac "special sauce" than it does on its own.

Then brown some ground beef along with chopped onion. Assemble each individual salad with shredded Romain lettuce, some of the ground beef, chopped kosher dill pickles, and a little shredded cheddar cheese.

Drizzle with the prepared "special sauce" dressing, and sprinkle with some sesame seeds to top the salad off.  

Then you're good to go with enjoying the Big Mac Salad deliciousness! Dig on in and enjoy those classic Big Mac flavors in this very tasty salad form.

Recipe FAQs:

• Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef? - Yes, you can substitute ground turkey for ground beef when making a Big Mac salad. However keep in mind, you'll lose some of the classic Big Mac flavor as ground turkey just won't replicate a Big Mac in the same way ground beef does. 

• Is the sprinkling of sesame seeds on top really necessary for this Big Mac Salad?  - No, of course the sprinkling of sesame seeds on top of a Big Mac Salad isn't necessary. The sesame seeds make no difference in the salad's flavor, but do make the salad more authentically a Big Mac Salad. -- Because as we all know, a Big Mac is served with a sesame seed bun, of course!

• Can I just use straight Thousand Island dressing on my Big Mac Salad instead of mixing up the "special sauce?" - Yes, you can absolutely use straight Thousand Island dressing on your Big Mac Salad, and it will still taste totally delicious. Mixing the Thousand Island dressing with onion powder and vinegar to make Big Mac "special sauce" cuts the sweetness of the Thousand Island dressing and makes it taste more authentically like a Big Mac.

Check out these other tasty salad recipes:

• Copycat Olive Garden Salad & Dressing
• Layered Taco Salad
• Make-Ahead Layered Salad
• Asian Ramen Noodle Salad with Broccoli Slaw
• Strawberry, Blueberry, & Greens Salad
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
• More salad recipes

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

Big Mac salad, Big Mac in a bowl, Big Mac bowl, how to make Big Mac salad

Salad

American

Yield: 3-4 servings

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

Big Mac Salad

Enjoy the classic flavors of a Big Mac in salad form! This hearty Big Mac Salad is loaded with fabulous flavor, perfect for lunch or dinner, and tastes amazingly like its burger inspiration -- all without that signature sesame seed bun.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

Big Mac Sauce/Dressing:

• 1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing
• 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

Salad:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 c. diced onion
• salt & pepper
• about 8 c. shredded Romaine lettuce
• about 1 c. chopped Kosher dill pickles
• about 1/2 c. shredded medium cheddar cheese
• sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the Big Mac Sauce/Dressing:

1. In a small bowl, stir together Thousand Island dressing, white vinegar, and onion powder.
2. Set aside.

Prepare the Salad:

1. Season ground beef with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Brown ground beef with onion in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat.
2. For each salad, place lettuce on a plate or in a bowl. Top with ground beef, chopped pickles, and shredded cheddar cheese.
3. Drizzle with Big Mac sauce/dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.

TRACEY'S NOTES:

1. Adjust the amount of lettuce, pickles, cheese, etc. on each salad to suit your personal taste.
2. Mixing Thousand Island dressing with onion powder and vinegar to make the Big Mac "special sauce" cuts the sweetness of the Thousand Island dressing and makes it taste more authentically like a Big Mac. However, you can use straight Thousand Island dressing if you'd like, and your Big Mac salad will still taste totally delicious.
3. The sprinkling of sesame seeds makes no difference in the salad's flavor, but does make the salad more authentically a Big Mac Salad. -- Because as we all know, a Big Mac is served with a sesame seed bun, of course!

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