This easy Big Mac Salad can be meal prepped in mason jars for lunches – it’s a healthy low-carb take on the classic cheeseburger!
What’s in this post
- Healthier Big Mac: It’s a healthier take on your favourite McDonald’s burger with whole ingredients.
- Meal prep friendly: Prep your salad in meal prep jars for an easy lunch idea.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef – ground turkey would also work.
- Yellow onion – use white or red onion instead.
- Dill pickles – any type of pickle will work here.
- Plum tomatoes – swap out for red pepper or another veggie if you don’t like tomatoes.
- Cheddar cheese – any type of cheese will work.
- Romaine lettuce – use any type of lettuce like Boston leaf or spinach.
Big Mac sauce
- Light mayo – feel free to use regular fat mayo or vegan mayo.
- Ketchup – there’s no great substitute for this.
- Relish – you can chop up 1 tbsp pickles instead.
How to make Big Mac salad
Step 1: Cook the ground beef.
Brown in a skillet until fully cooked.
Step 2: Make the Big Mac sauce.
Mix the light mayo, ketchup and relish together.
Step 3: Prep your toppings.
Chop up the tomatoes, pickles and onions.
Step 4: Assemble or store your salad.
Toss all the ingredients together or layer the ingredients in mason jars and store for later.
Recipe tips
Make the best Big Mac salad:
- Ingredient prep: Make the sauce and cook the beef beforehand to save time.
- Use extra-lean beef: It’s the healthier option and won’t make the salad greasy.
- Meal prep in mason jars: They’ll layer the ingredients and prevent them from getting soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Big Mac sauce the same as thousand island dressing?
While they both have similar ingredients, the flavours are different. If you prefer, you can use store-bought or homemade thousand island dressing in this salad instead of the Big Mac sauce.
What kind of lettuce is best?
A traditional Big Mac is made with iceberg lettuce, but I use romaine lettuce since it’s a healthier option that tastes pretty much the same.
Do you reheat the beef or eat it cold?
If you store the salad in mason jars, you’ll have to eat it cold. If you prefer to eat it warm, store separately and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Storage and meal prep
The best way to store this salad is in mason jars. Here’s how to layer your jars:
- Divide the Big Mac sauce evenly amongst the bottom of the jars
- Add the ground beef on top of the dressing
- Layer on the onions, pickles, tomatoes and cheese, finishing with the lettuce
- Store in the fridge for 5 days
You can also store the assembled salad in the fridge for 2-3 days without the sauce or 1 day with the sauce.
Meal prep tools
- These are the mason jars I use.
- And of course I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box!
Easy Big Mac Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dill pickles, chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
Big Mac sauce
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp relish
Instructions
- Cook ground beef with salt in a medium-sized skillet over med-high heat until fat has absorbed and beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix Big Mac sauce ingredients together. Divide sauce among 4 mason jars. Top with ground beef, then layer with onions, pickles, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce.
- Store in the fridge up to 5 days – serve by dumping into a large bowl and enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Madeline says
426kcal is equivalent to 426000 calories I would have to say this is incorrect. Did you mean 426cal per jar?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Madeline – it is 426 calories per jar.
Susan Ritchie says
Actually food is measured in kilocalories or Calories- I frequently see kcal used as an abbreviation. This article explains https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-food-manufacturers/
Ginger Pope says
Thanks, I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Francesca says
Where does the 1/2 tsp salt go?
It’s not in the directions or in the video….I’m confused.
Taylor Stinson says
It goes in with the beef – I have just updated the recipe to reflect that. Sorry for any confusion!
Iris says
When refrigerating the salad, do you eat the beef cold or do you have to heat it up?
SUsan says
This sounds yummy do you have a suggestion for a sugar free big Mac dressing. No sugar at all so no artificial sugar either. Thanks
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Susan – I’m afraid you would have to try sugar free ketchup and relish. I wish I had more helpful suggestions.
Veronica says
What size mason jar do you use for these salads? Thanks! 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Veronica – I have the mason jars I use linked right above the recipe card under the Meal Prep Tools heading 🙂
MandiP says
Super easy and super delicious! Will make again!
Andrea Morse says
You’re recipe for “Big Mac” sauce is how I’ve been making Thousand Islad salad dressing for decades!
Tabitha says
I notice it says 15 grams of carbs. Is that for all 4 salads or per salad ?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Tabitha – all nutritional info is per salad.
Katelyn Elmore says
Is the nutrition for 1 jar or the 4??
Taylor Stinson says
It’s for one jar 🙂
Linda says
Incredible!!!! I can’t believe how much this tastes like a Big Mac. This recipe has been moved from my “recipes to try” board to my “favourites” board. I will be checking out your other recipes for sure. Thank you so much.