Enjoy all the flavors of your favorite McDonald’s meal in salad form. Complete with the beloved “special sauce,” this salad version tastes just like the classic drive-thru burger in a much healthier way.
It’s been years, maybe decades even since I’ve had a full on McDonald’s meal. I did go through a fries and diet coke phase about 10 years ago, but even that was sporadic at best.
However, in high school, I won “quickest off the bus to McDonald’s” at our end of year soccer dinner and was quite proud of it. My go-to order was a number two (double cheeseburger meal) supersized with an apple pie. Honestly, I kind of salivate just thinking of that. I miss the days of not caring what I ate and away games taking us to the nearest McDonald’s no matter if we won or lost.
Fast forward about 25 years and this Big Mac salad is how I’m satisfying any McDonald’s cravings. It’s everything you love about the quintessential American fast food meal put into a salad bowl with the “special sauce” as the dressing.
The Rundown
- Major cheeseburger vibes in a bowl.
- Gluten-free and low-carb.
- Ready in 20 minutes.
- Great meal-prep lunch — just keep the salad, beef and dressing all prepped separately and then mix together when you’re ready to eat.
Ingredient Highlights
Everything you’ll find in the ingredient list is what you’d get if you ordered a Big Mac, just minus the sesame seed bun.
- Ground beef – I like the ground meat I’m using to have a bit of fat on it to mimic the taste of the burger better. 85/15 or 80/20 is my go-to but you can definitely use leaner meat if you prefer.
- Salad toppings – This is where the burger toppings shine. The salad version lets you enjoy much bigger helpings of each of your favorites like: pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and cheese.
- Big Mac sauce – The special sauce is what makes a Big Mac. It’s very similar to the sauce I use in these burger bowls, but tweaked to match McDonald’s recipe. You’ll need a light mayo, pickle relish, yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices. Notice there’s no ketchup in that list. McDonald’s doesn’t use ketchup in the Big Mac sauce!
Let’s Make It!
The full recipe and ingredient details are at the bottom of the post in the recipe card, but here’s a quick visual run-through of making this Big Mac salad.
- I start by making the sauce which is actually the dressing. I like to use light mayo to cut down on the fat in the recipe (it’s insanely high otherwise) and sometimes I’ll even do half Greek yogurt, half mayo. You can also do any ratio in between that too.
- Just combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Then I turn my attention to the ground beef and add it to a hot skillet with the seasonings.
- Cook the beef, breaking it up with a spatula into small crumbles until it’s no longer pink.
- Assemble the salad ingredients in a large bowl and top it with the cooked beef.
- Add the cheese and toss to combine.
- Drizzle the dressing (aka: the special sauce) on top and toss right before serving.
My Pro Tips
Make it Taste Just Like McDonald’s
- Adjust the sauce/dressing consistency to your liking. It can be thinned out with some water if it’s too thick or sauce-like for you. I suggest making the dressing as written (all mayo) the first time and then adjusting from there if you want to use partial Greek yogurt in its place.
- You can make the sauce in a blender instead of whisking by hand for a totally smooth texture without any pickle pieces.
- The dressing gets better as it sits so feel free to make it ahead of time and keep it stored in the refrigerator.
- Add sesame seeds for a garnish as a nod to the Big Mac’s sesame seed bun we’re skipping by eating this in salad form.
- Still missing fries? Try these perfectly crispy baked fries, grill up some potato wedges or go all out with these parmesan truffle fries.
Storage & Leftovers
Once the salad is dressed, it’s not great as leftovers. At most, store it in the refrigerator for up to one day. After that, it will get soggy and unenjoyable.
If you plan to have leftovers or if you’re making extra for meal prep, it’s best to store the dressing separate from the beef and the salad components. I often double the beef and sauce and keep it on hand for easy salads or bowl meals throughout the week. The seasoned beef and special sauce are just as good over rice with sautéed or roasted vegetables as they are in this salad — I highly recommend trying it that way too!
More Hefty Salads Like This to Try
If you love a salad that doubles as a full meal, try this Pad Thai salad, shrimp Caesar salad or my favorite summer salad ever, this watermelon feta and fried scallop salad.
Big Mac Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 romaine hearts, rinsed and chopped
- 1 cup tomato, diced
- 1 cup dill pickle spears, chopped
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
For the Dressing
- 3/4 cup light mayonnaise, or sub half mayonnaise & half plain Greek yogurt for a lighter option
- ¼ cup dill pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the salad. This can be made ahead of time too and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
- Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a pre-heated skillet and cook until the meat is no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Layer the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and ground beef in a large serving bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the salad, then drizzle the dressing over the top. Toss to coat all the elements of the salad in the dressing.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- This salad is best served fresh, but you can cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for about 1 day.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
