Big Mac in a Bowl - all your favorite flavors of Mcdonald’s Big Mac burger combined into a salad. It is loaded with ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, onions, and topped off with some Light thousand island dressing. Low Carb and Weight Watcher friendly!
I’ve been seeing this recipe for Big Mac Salad pop up on Instagram a lot lately and had to try it for myself and it did not disappoint! The whole entire salad is only 5 smart points and can be easily meal prepped for lunches. Some sesame seed bun croutons would be really good on top of this salad but I didn’t have any. Noted for when I make this recipe again. 🙂
If you love salads for lunch try my recipe for Big Mac Tacos, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad or Dorito Taco Salad.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Big Mac in a Bowl will be another salad recipe that I can add to my favorite salad list and it is delicious! I ate the whole entire salad including the lettuce. Usually, I like to eat everything but the lettuce in the salad or eat around it.
Ingredients for Big Mac in a Bowl
- Ground beef - Is considered better than higher fat options for several reasons. First, it has less saturated fat, which can contribute to heart disease and other health issues. Additionally, it tends to have fewer calories per serving, making it a good option for those watching their weight. The 96% lean ground beef from Aldi is my favorite.
- Onion powder is dehydrated, ground onion that is commonly used as a seasoning. Some people do not like the taste of freshly chopped onion so onion powder is a great substitute if you have a picky eater like that in your house.
- Garlic powder - is made from dehydrated garlic cloves and like the chili powder above it gets pulverized into a powder or flour consistency.
- Worcestershire sauce is a condiment that originated in Worcester, England. It is made from a blend of vinegar, molasses, anchovies, tamarind, onion, garlic, and other seasonings.Iiceberg lettuce, chopped - Romaine or iceberg lettuce can be used for this salad.
- Cherry tomatoes or roma tomatoes halved
- Diced pickles - Pickles are zero points on WW freestyle as long as they are unsweetened pickles.
- Cheese - Reduced-Fat Cheese has a lower calorie count and less saturated fat than regular cheese, but it may also have a different taste and texture. It also helps with keeping the calorie count pretty low for this recipe.
- Big Mac Sauce - The ingredients for big mac sauce are all pretty much found in your pantry. Mayonnaise, pickle relish, ketchup, and mustard. Sometimes I'll switch it up and use a store bought dressing like Thousand Island or French Dressing.
- French Dressing - Making homemade salad dressings really aren’t my favorite thing to make at home and that is why I like to use store bought dressings.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Big Mac in a Bowl
Step 1: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned and fully cooked. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, diced pickles, and shredded cheddar cheese. .Add the cooked ground beef to the salad bowl and toss everything together.
Step 4: Drizzle the Thousand Island dressing mixture over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
Serve the Big Mac Salad immediately and enjoy!
Tips for Big Mac in a Bowl
The recipe below is only meant for 4 servings. (updated) When I make this big mac in a bowl, I like to cook 1 pound of ground beef all at once. Then, I'll save it in a container in the fridge so it's easy to take out of my fridge to make other salads with. When I'm ready to eat my salads, I'll measure out 3 oz of ground beef for my salad. Which is what I used to figure out the points for the recipe.
Use croutons for the hamburger bun. Check your WW bar code scanner app for points. If you are low carb, do not use croutons.
If you're meal prepping these salads, store the dressing in 2 oz plastic containers.
Recipe FAQS
If you're looking to make homemade Big Mac Sauce at home it will have these ingredients in it. Big mac sauce includes ÂĽ cup Thousand Island dressing, ÂĽ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, Salt and pepper to taste
Other Great Recipes to Try
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Big Mac in a Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Big Mac in a Bowl -  all your favorite flavors of Mcdonald’s Big Mac burger combined into a salad. It is loaded with ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, onions, and topped off with some Light thousand island dressing. Low Carb and Weight Watcher friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup diced pickles
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ÂĽ cup diced onions
Big Mac Dressing
- 1 cup lite mayonnaiseÂ
- ÂĽ cup of reduced-sugar ketchupÂ
- ÂĽ cup pickle relishÂ
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegarÂ
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned and fully cooked. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, diced pickles, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced onions.
- Add the cooked ground beef to the salad bowl and toss everything together.
- Drizzle the Thousand Island dressing mixture over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
- Serve the Big Mac Salad immediately and enjoy!
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 9 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)Â
- Category: Salad
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Lunch
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 7.4g
- Fat: 20.7
- Saturated Fat: 7.6g
- Carbohydrates: 15.4g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 34.9g
Keywords: big mac in a bowl
Annie says
I ran it through the calculator and am getting 8 points per serving. I'm still going to make it but I show 10 for the beef, 10 for the cheese and 10 for the dressing. That's 7.5 points per serving. What kind of dressing and cheese did you use??
Jenna says
Great idea adding that! I will try next time. 🙂
Juli says
This is so good! Sometimes I add a little liquid smoke to the ground beef and make a “Whopper in a Bowl“.
Jenna says
The picture shows pickle slices. Hope that helps.
Amy says
Is 16 pickles correct? The wording in this has me questioning if it is 16 slices of pickle (like hamburger slices) or 16 whole pickles sliced and then diced. I appreciate any clarification.
Lynda B says
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I do love Big Macs but making my own burger is easy too, it just is healthier without all that bread & cheese. I usually use Colby jack, Monterey Jack or cheddar. It’s a perfect summer salad.
★★★★★
Jenna says
That is what the recipe says. 🙂
C says
This recipe looks like it makes 4 servings?
Jenna says
No. I make a whole pound of beef at once and split it between 4 salads.
Rosemary says
Does one salad really use the whole pound of beef?!?!