So…I turned my salad into a burger.
I burger-ed it.
I Big Mac-ed it.
And.I.am.so.glad.I.did.
Hot salads have a way of satisfying that their cold counterparts lack. They’re weighted. Hefty. They stick to your ribs. And now, apparently, they taste like a loaded cheeseburger—minus the bun.
The dressing is a healthier adaptation of the secret sauce used on McDonald’s famous Big Mac. It’s creamy and sweet with a slightly pickled flavor—similar to Russian dressing. It balances the savory, garlicky flavor of the sautéed beef and onion.
Make this salad if you—like me—love nothing more than cheeseburgers and 20 minute meals.
Cheeseburger Salad with Big Mac Dressing
dressing adapted from Top Secret Recipes
makes 4 servings
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)
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 Information for 1 Serving (1/4th of Entire Recipe): Calories 445, Total Fat 24.8 g, Total Carbohydrate 13.1 g, Dietary Fiber 4.1 g, Sugars 1.2 g, Protein 43.1 g
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
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
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.
Yay I love that you organized the new layout!
This recipie looks super good! Specially if you’re craving a burguer, you should make a pizza salad for us pizza lovers 
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!
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!
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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