Big Mac Salad Bowl
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
All the flavors of your favorite fast food burger in a lighter, fresher way! This Big Mac Salad Bowl has juicy ground beef, crisp lettuce, melted cheese, pickles, onions, and that classic “special sauce” drizzled on top. Put fries on top and call it dinner!
I am not a huge fan of fast food burgers and much prefer to make my own burgers at home. However, there is a time and a place for a Big Mac, especially for that delicious special sauce that goes on top.
What is the Big Mac Special Sauce?
The Big Mac Special Sauce is McDonald’s signature burger sauce that is creamy, tangy, and a little sweet. It’s like Thousand Island dressing but with its own twist. The classic version is made with mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, vinegar, spices, and a touch of sugar.
I don’t know what it is but the homemade version of both Thousand Island dressing and McDonald’s special sauce is so good I could eat it on burgers, chicken, with fries, or on top of a salad.
I make a lot of big entree salads because I feel like they are both heathy and filling which works well for our family. Our newest favorite salad is Thai Ground Beef Salad with pickled vegetables on top. We also love a good Cobb Salad with homemade dressing. I also make a mean Steakhouse Steak salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing.
I recently saw a post of a local restaurant who made a Big Mac salad but they made it with hamburgers that they then chopped up and put on top of the salad. I thought using ground beef that was seasoned would be much easier and found many recipes that go this route.
So the salad itself is pretty plain. It’s basically iceberg lettuce topped with cheddar cheese, minced onions, and sliced pickles. Then the ground beef is lightly seasoned and goes on top. The whole salad is drizzled with the Big Mac Sauce.
Now, I had to go one step farther and put fries on top of my salad. I thought this really added to the salad and we were happy that I put them on there. It made it a Big Mac Meal Salad instead of just a Big Mac salad.
Do I have to put fries on my salad?
No! If you just want the Big Mac salad then skip the fries. However, I’m from Pittsburgh where we put fries on salads all the time, so I loved this idea. It also makes this salad a complete meal so we didn’t need to add anything on the side.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
- ground beef
- iceberg lettuce (or a salad mix blend)
- cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese to go with burgers)
- sliced dill pickles
- onion (I like sweet onions but you can use yellow or red onions)
- sesame seeds
- Big Mac Sauce (see recipe in recipe card)
- french fries
To make the salad heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add in the ground beef, salt, and pepper, and cook until the beef is cooked through. Cook the fries according to the package directions.
In a large salad bowl layer the lettuce, pickles, onions, ground beef, and french fries. Drizzle with Big Mac sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
This salad is really simple to make but it’s so good! I loved the Big Mac Sauce on top of it. It’s tangy and creamy and adds a ton of delicious flavor to the salad.
Do I need dressing with this salad?
You don’t need to add dressing to the salad as the Big Mac sauce acts like a dressing. However, if you need additional flavor on your lettuce you can add more sauce or use Italian dressing or Thousand Island dressing in addition to the sauce.
The great thing about this salad is that you can make the beef and the Big Mac sauce ahead of time so that when you are ready to eat all you have to do is assemble the salad. I also like to make double the sauce recipe and use it as a fry dip later on in the week or as a sauce on my homemade Reuben sandwiches.
Big Mac Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Big Mac Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Salad:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6-8 cups iceberg lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup dill pickle slices
- 1/4 cup onion minced
- 1/2 pound shoestring fries
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- To make the Big Mac sauce combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute.
- Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper to the pan. Break up the beef and saute for 6-8 minutes or until the beef is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook the fries according to the package directions. Keep warm.
- Divide the lettuce between four salad bowls.
- Layer with the onions, pickles, ground beef, cheese, and french fries (if using).
- Drizzle with the Big Mac sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Notes
