If you love Big Macs but want something lighter and much healthier, you will love this cheeseburger salad recipe with homemade Big Mac dressing!
I thought my cheeseburger recipe obsession could be just…I don’t know, burgers? But now, it’s starting to creep into other areas of my food life–even the most unsuspecting of places–like salad.
Somehow the concept of a bunless burger wasn’t enough. I had to go and brown the ground beef in a pan, along with onions and garlic, just so I could be sure I’d have a bite of burger in every bite of…salad. Is this the point when I should enter therapy?
It’s likely too late for me.
Cheeseburger Salad with Big Mac Dressing
Now that I’ve made a full-blown cheeseburger salad with BIG MAC DRESSING, I can’t very well turn back. I can’t go back to the days of plopping a burger on a bed of lettuce with just any ol’ dressing when I know how wickedly good and hearty this salad is. It’s a bite of beef in every single forkful, with flavors of garlic and onion cooked right in, and a drizzle of that sweet-meets-tangy Russian dressing that we know as Big Mac sauce.
3 Ways I Lightened It:
- Extra lean ground beef – You can also use ground turkey!
- Shredded cheddar cheese instead of sliced – Shredded cheese disperses throughout the salad much better than a slice of cheese would, so you can get away with using a little less while still tasting it in nearly every bite!
- Lightened the Big Mac dressing by using half Greek yogurt/half mayonnaise instead of all mayonnaise – Greek yogurt provides all the thick, creamy texture that mayonnaise does, but with far fewer calories! The bonus is that this dressing is supposed to be a little tangy/pickled in flavor, so Greek yogurt’s natural tang fits right in!
This salad is such a win. If you, like me, crave a good juicy cheeseburger pretty regularly, this is the way to enjoy one for a totally reasonable number of calories while incorporating a whole lot of filling and nutritious veggies! And if you have any picky eaters in your life, who wouldn’t dare touch a salad and love a McDonald’s run, I have a feeling this is the salad that could get them to eat their greens.
Make it and let me know if you love it as much as I do!
Cheeseburger Salad with Big Mac Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons full-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream or yogurt
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon minced white onion
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- dash Tabasco sauce or hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef sirloin
- 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
- 2 large ripe tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- dill pickle slices optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, water, vinegar, relish, onion, sugar, Tabasco, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the ground beef and cook for about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally and using the spatula to crumble the meat.
- Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds, until fragrant. The meat should no longer be pink; if it is, continue to cook until browned. Remove pan from heat and set aside while you assemble the salads.
- Divide the romaine, tomatoes, and cheese evenly among four large bowls or plates. Divide the beef mixture evenly among the salads. Drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons dressing. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Hey there! This salad looks delicious, but for some reason I can’t see the recipe in the post! It ends with the sentence “Make this salad if you…” and then there’s another picture but no recipe. Am I missing something? Thanks :)
Click on the picture a second time and the recipe will appear blow the picture on a new page.
Hey … where is the recipe? I can’t wait to try it…. also, where did you get the Rachel Ray bowl it’s in? I have some bowls like that but mine are not that shape and I like that shape…
thanks!
the bowl is from tjmaxx, I believe its labeled (Stonehouse) and cost 4.99
How interesting! I may try this one out! :)
By the way, did you get a new blog design?? Looks awesome!
Ca’t wait to try this – I LOVE cheeseburgers!
This looks AWESOME, especially with the dill pickles!!!!! I love pickles!
Oh man, that looks awesome!
Yum! This looks delicious and I’m always excited to get new salad ideas!
By the way, I love the new look and layout! The last one was a little too cluttery and not as user-friendly. This is great! It’s attractive and feels more intuitive.
Yup. Making this for dinner tonight. Looks awesome!
why do you use full fat mayo and sour cream?
the salad looks AMAZING!
Hey Megan,
I prefer to use full-fat versions of many things because flavor-wise and texture-wise, they’re the best. Feel free to swap out lower fat versions to your liking!
Thanks for your comment!
Andie
i figured it had to do with flavor or something! i feel like i, personally, tend to eat less when i use a full fat version and that i savor it more!
but i hate mayo! so i will likely swap in some greek yogurt. this is going on my weekly menu next week! i’m very excited for it!!!!
thanks!
It’s a good idea to use full-fat (or at least reduced rather than fat-free) dressings and cheese for salads. Your body needs the fat to process the greens. If your’e worried about using too much dressing, use the old Weight Watchers tip and dip your fork in the dressing on the side, then pick up some salad. You use a lot less dressing, but still get the flavor.
Thanks for the Nutritional Info BUT you forgot the SODIUM – Which I’m betting is SKY-HI. Looks yummy so I’m gonna try it – So how much sodium per serving?
Me AGAIN – When I make this I’ll OMIT the Oil – for 1 thing you lose the healthy benefit when you heat Olive Oil, so if you insist on using oil it s/b Canola or Veg Oil. I will SUB Pam Spray to sauté the Onions & there’s fat in even Xtra Lean Beef,so you DON’T NEED OIL. just saying. ALSO this would be good with OVEN Fries OR Wedges to take the place of F-Fries (toss in a zip-loc bag with Veg Oil) & sprinkle lightly with HALF-Salt & Garlic Powder (NOT Garlic SALT) & any other herbs you fancy. Bake @ 400F about 30 Mins. YUM.
Low and non fat versions, especially dairy, are actually not recommended on low carb food plans. Fat carries flavor. If it is removed, manufacturers replace with sugar and chemicals, both of which are unhealthy to ingest. Check the total carb count between the two versions and you will likely find the full fat version has less carbs. Fat is not what makes us fat. Simple or processed carbs do, raising glycemic levels, causing fatigue and foggy brain, and contributing to serious digestive issues.
Typo…remove Simple toward end.
Yay I love that you organized the new layout! :D This recipie looks super good! Specially if you’re craving a burguer, you should make a pizza salad for us pizza lovers :P
Yes! I agree with the pizza salad idea too. I haven’t had a Big Mac in forever, but I’m sure this would cause the memories to come flooding back. :)
This made me smile. I’m gluten-intolerant, and there’s not a whole lot gluten-free to eat in the cafeteria at work. So one day, I served myself up some salad greens with a little bit of shredded cheese, and yep the tomatos and a couple of pickles. I bought a hambuger patty and chopped it up and put it on my salad, which I topped off with a packet of light mayo, mustard and ketchup. And it tasted good!
I have been daydreaming about this all day. I NEVER do that. All through work, all through 90 minutes of yoga. Could not get it out of my mind! I made the salad dressing and chopped onions before yoga so it was like a 10 minute dish from skillet to table. Served it on heirloom lettuce and it was MAGNIFICENT!!!
This is going in the rotation. As a working mom, dishes like this are my salvation.
Thank you so much.
And thank you for using full fat food. It took me a really long time to understand that there is no “bad” food. I really, really appreciate that.
This sounds delicious- It’s definitely going into this week’s rotation :)
I have had this giant craving for a burger the past few days and I think I may have found the solution! This looks incredible. I want it in my mouth right now!
Oh my goodness, this sounds way better than I would have ever thought! I am going to make this very soon.
We have Salad Monday in our house. You don’t know how much my husband is going to love this break from our normal salad!!!! Thank you.
CAN NOT WAIT to try this! why have i not thought of this myself? five hours and i can go to the store for ingredients!!!!!
Pampered Chef has a similar recipe; I think yours looks better, though! The PC recipe has you toast a burger bun and use it as croutons, which might be a good addition if you’re not watching the carbs.
What a fun salad – this would be about the only way I could get my husband to eat a salad for dinner!
OMG, this is totally blowing my mind, not only does it sound delicious…..but it looks absolutely AMazing Too!
Ah what a brilliant idea! I’ve only ever had bites of Big Macs as I don’t ever actually want to eat the whole thing, yet those bites are quite delicious! ha This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try this out! Thanks for sharing the “secret recipe” :)
I made this for lunch yesterday! It was delicious :-) Brilliant idea! I will definitely be making it again. Thanks!
I’m not a fan of McDonalds at all, but that salad was delicious! Big Macs are my husband’s favorite, and he was skeptical of a hamburger salad, but he loved it. Thanks!
That looks and sounds phenomenal! I was planning to have a salad for dinner and was for once not looking forward to it — problem solved! Though I might go for more of a chipotle sauce on top…
http://www.mydestination.com/users/suburbanhypocrite/bbb
This looks good, but it would have to be an infrequent treat. Over 24 grams of fat! As a diabetic, I’d have to make some adjustments,
BEST DINNER EVER. I was so excited about making this last night. It did not disappoint. Thanks for making healthy food fun!
Mmmmm… This looks amazing. I’m gluten intolerant so I have to nix the bun anyway, and a salad is the perfect way to get all those yummy flavors in. Yeah! Burger, my favorite burger place in Atlanta (which actually has gluten free buns, by the way!) has this amazing sriracha mayo that I bet would taste incredible on this salad as a dressing!
I cannot wait to try this! I even think my fiancé will like it, too!
I love it! A Big Mac without the bread, and without having to stand in line at the temple to metabolic syndrome known as McDonalds.
Love this one! I have tried this on pizza, hadn’t thought about a salad until now. Thanks for sharing this!
Andris
I made this tonight & my salad-loving 6-year-old & I gobbled it up! Awesome!
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OH My Lordy, this is hands down the best salad I have eaten in a longggggg time. Loved it. Left of the cheese (I am allergic) and substituted soy yoghurt, added a pile more veggies, capsicums, crunchy sprouts, cucumber ( I know, not on a Big Mac) it was sooo delicious. Thansk very much for your ingenuity, respect and full bellies from New Zealand
I pulled this recipe from the back of my brain (put on hold a while back) and pulled it up on my phone at the grocery store. Absolutely one of the best salads I have ever made (salads NEVER taste as good when you make them yourself IMHO)…I was skeptical about the dressing, but oh my gosh – delicious! I have Burger leftover and will be having another cheeseburger salad tonight for dinner – well done and thanks for sharing!
Whenever we have burgers for dinner (we have turkey burgers here at our house – bad beef experience… never quite got over it), I always cook a few extra patties to make a burger salad for myself the next day. It’s one of my favorite “left over” lunches & I have to say I can’t wait to try this version! It looks very yummy & I might even convince my husband to try it (McD’s special sauce is one of his favorites). Thanks!
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Loved this; the boyfriend asked me to add it in the usual dinner rotation, an honor usually reserved for meatloaf, tacos, and spaghetti!!! Way to go awesome lady!
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That sauce is delicious – my Big Mac loving hubby thought it was perfect!
I had the Cheeseburger Salad for lunch. The sauce reminded me of a sandwich they used to sell at Kresge’s (now known as K-Mart). I slathered the sauce on the middle third of a Flax/Oatbran wrap then added chopped turkey, chopped ham, chopped dill pickles and salad mix. Very tasty!
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Love this one! I have tried this on pizza, hadn’t thought about a salad until now. Thanks for sharing this!
Had this for dinner tonight. It is my new favorite!!!
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I used double greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and it was delish!
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Thank you for such a wonderful idea! We just had it for supper tonight and my entire family loved it. I ended up using the Top Secret Recipe version of the dressing and added a bit of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to the beef but kept everything else the same. Quick, simple, and really yummy. I look forward to making it again soon.
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I made this last night. My daughter ate 3 bowls! Yummie! I’m working on a pinterest board of salads with a restaurant twist. This was perfect! I did find the meat needed salt. The previous commenter that used Lawry’s, good idea. Thank You!
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Looks delicious the only problem is it’s almost the same amount of calories to just eat the Big Mac…if you remove the middle piece of bread they are only about 50 calories apart :)
Still…looks awesome
this looks great! I used to get the cheeseburger salad at a restaraunt here called Benji’s. I’ll have to bake some French fries to throw in it too? You can’t imagine what this adds!
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Do you drain the oil from the meat and onions?
Hi Jennifer!
No, I do not, but you can if you want to!
Andie
Just wondering how long the mac sauce will stay good for? or should it be used same day?
Should stay good for 3 days!
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One of my favorite week night meals. Very tasty and easy to make.
Thank you Gina!!
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I noticed that sour cream is not listed in the ingredient list, but in the first line of instruction is says whisk mayo & sour cream, is that supposed to say greek yogurt?
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what a great idea and I really appreciate how you’ve slimmed this down to manageable calorie count, thank you, what a truly creative salad!
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Made this tonight for dinner, it was awesome! I will be making this again.
Do you use distilled white vinegar (like the kind used for cleaning) or white wine vinegar?
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Looks absolutely delicious! Will be making this soon.
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I have made this soooo many times, it is really truly delicious. The whole family love it! Instead of Mayo I use Greek yoghurt.
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