Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad

I made a version of a Big Mac Salad back in October and really think that recipe is WAY better than this one. 

The dressing for this one wasn't great. It really didn't have a lot of flavor. It was super thick too so I added water to it. If you want to make a Big Mac Salad, I'd make this one instead. 

Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad

Recipe from Isavea2z.com

Serves 6 - if this is a side dish. Feeds more like 3 if it's a full meal

Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad Ingredients

Photo from Isavea2z.com

11 oz Ground Beef precooked

4 to 5 cups mixed greens

4 slices of bacon crumbled

3/4 c sharp cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 c Monterey jack cheese shredded

2 T dill pickle relish

1/2 c tomatoes diced

Big Mac Dressing Ingredients

1/2 c mayonnaise sugar free

2 T dill pickle relish

2 T olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 T ketchup sugar free

2 T mustard

2 T white onion minced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix it until it's fully combined. Keep this mixture refrigerated until you are ready to use it.

Combine the chopped lettuce in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the diced tomatoes, precooked ground beef (be sure to warm the beef slightly), cheddar cheese, Monterey cheese, pickle relish, and bacon.

Top the cheeseburger salad with the Big Mac dressing you prepped earlier.

Toss the salad until all the ingredients are fully coated with the dressing.

Serve immediately.

Big Mac Salad

This recipe...Oh my goodness...so good.

I'm a big fan of the components that make up a Big Mac, but not a fan of the Big Mac. It's too big and tooo...well, icky.

But what's not to love about burger, pickles, ketchup, mayo, lettuce and tomatoes...I mean, Yum.

Super easy recipe and super filling.

Big Mac Salad
Recipe from Lowcarbyum.com
Serves 8...but really 4 good size meals or a serving based on the small salad plate and dressing mixture is about 3/4 Cup will feed 8

Salad:
1 1/3 pounds ground beef about 600 grams
1/2 small onion chopped (optional)
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/8 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp chili pepper (optional)
12 ounces lettuce greens
2 spears dill pickles diced
3 small tomatoes sliced (optional)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated
1 small red onion sliced (optional)
Salt & Ground Black Pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil for sautéing

Dressing :
2 T tomato paste
3 T water
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sour cream
1/8 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
low carb sugar substitute (if desired)
salt & ground black pepper to taste

Dressing:

Dilute tomato paste in water and add some sweetener (if desired). Add mayonnaise and sour cream. Season with sage, oregano, basil, salt and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

In a slightly greased skillet, sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for a few minutes without burning. Add lean ground meat then season with thyme, oregano and marjoram. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Add a little chili pepper for some heat. Thoroughly cook beef. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towel. Set aside.

Assemble Salad:

Cover platter with greens. Layer cooked beef, chopped greens – lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, dill pickles and top with cheddar cheese. Drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Calories 273kcal
Carbohydrates: 2g
Protein: 19g

(Bacon) Cheeseburger Chopped Salad (89 of 150)

My mom loved cheeseburgers. The sloppier the better. She passed that love on to me. That's part of how I keep my girlish figure. 

In the spirit of containing the girlish figure, I need to cut back a little. I still wanted the cheeseburger flavor but didn't want the carbs. I've made a Big Mac Salad a couple of times.  They're solid recipes and a good meal for a summer day. 

I made a slight modification to this recipe. I made the vinaigrette and didn't really care for it. So I made a "big mac" dressing instead. 1/4 c mayo, a big squirt of ketchup, shallot, dill pickle, some dill pickle juice, salt and pepper. It's a good dressing and much better than the vinaigrette IMHO. Though I liked the mustard slant, I just wanted something different. 

I also added bacon to this recipe. I mean every good salad has bacon bits in it. Plus I had some left over from breakfast, so I chopped it up and added it. 

Now, as a chop salad, the idea is to "chop" everything together and mix the salad so all the items are about the same size. But before I did that, I had to make sure I took the quintessential "chopped salad" pic. 

 

Then I mixed it all together. 

I have a feeling tomorrow's salad at lunch time will be just as good as this one was. I'd make this again for sure. It's super easy and can be thrown together quickly.

Cheeseburger Chopped Salad

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

Serves 4

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 8 c butter lettuce
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/3 c chopped dill pickles
• 1/4 c diced red onion
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Dill Pickled Vinaigrette

• 1/4 c diced dill pickles
• 3 T dill pickle juice (from a jar of dill pickles)
• 2 T diced shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the ground beef, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Break the mixture apart with a spoon and cook until browned, stirring over and breaking the pieces into crumbles, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle about 2 ounces of the cheddar over the beef so it slightly melts. You can serve this salad with the beef hot or room temp – so if necessary, you can make this a bit ahead of time!

Place the butter lettuce on a cutting board and run your knife through it to chop it into pieces. Ideally we want everything in uniform pieces so each bite is perfect. Chop up the lettuce, then throw it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss it well. Add the tomatoes next, the dill pickles and the diced onion. Add the remaining shredded cheese. Toss the salad well, drizzle on the dressing and serve!

Dill Pickled Vinaigrette

In a bowl, whisk together the pickles, pickle juice, shallot, garlic, mustard and honey. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk until the mixture comes together. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. This stays great in the fridge for a few days!

Smashed Big Mac Tacos (86 of 150)

Come on. Admit it. You've seen the viral "smashed burger tacos" all over TikTok and Instagram. And if you haven't, what rock have you been under?

It's a unique take on smashed burgers and tacos. It's big in the low carb world for obvious reasons. I used a carb balance tortilla to keep the carbs low.

The concept is you make a smash burger on a flour tortilla. Making the beef as thin as possible. THIS is key. It has to cook fast, and get a crust on it. 

Once it's done, you top it with the same things you'd top a burger with. My sauce was mayo, sugar free ketchup, mustard, dill pickle juice, chopped dill pickles, a little garlic powder, a little onion powder, some salt and pepper. 

After I put the cheese on it and let it sit for a bit to melt the cheese, I added the tomatoes, onion and sauce. 

Then you fold and eat it like a taco. It was drippy. Very drippy. Which is what really makes a good burger if you ask me. 

Overall the was "ok". It wasn't great, but it was interesting enough to try and it filled the empty stomach. I won't make this again. I'd rather not have a bun and eat a thicker burger than deal with this. That said, it was fun to give it a try. I don't fall for the viral food trends too often, so this was fun to do. 

“Skip The Bun” Crunchy Cheeseburger Salad

It's hot here. The thought of turning on the stove and cooking too much didn't sound thrilling. So a salad was a perfect answer for dinner tonight. And I didn't even plan it that way. 

I've made Big Mac Salads a couple times in the past. They're pretty tasty, so this one sounded just as good. And I was not wrong. 

This is an easy one to repeat. The Fry seasoning is the only thing I'm not sure how to replicate, but garlic powder and onion powder can make it better. 

“Skip The Bun” Crunchy Cheeseburger Salad

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 10 oz ground beef
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 c chopped dill pickles
• 1 T dill pickle brine
• 1 T Fry Seasoning [JW note: I have no idea what's actually in this]
• 2 T mayo
• 1 T ketchup
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 head Romain lettuce, chopped

Trim and discard root end from lettuce; roughly chop. 

Prep your veggies: Chop tomato, chop lettuce; chop dill pickle. 

Stir 1⁄2 tsp Fry Seasoning and 1⁄4 tsp sugar into bowl with 1 T pickle brine along with the mayo, ketchup and Dijon. Mix together and set aside.  Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef, remaining Fry Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, until browned. TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out. Transfer to a plate.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce with half the dressing and half the tomato. 

Divide salad between bowls. Top with beef, Monterey Jack, chopped pickle, and remaining tomato. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (Recipe 141 of 150)

Alfredo is a super easy recipe for me. I've made it so many times I can do it without actual measurements. Like many things, it can be made to taste. 

This recipe was good. I didn't change up really anything. I didn't use fettuccini because I had tagliatelle on hand so I used that. Really you could use any pasta - except elbow. That's just weird and reserved exclusively for man n cheese and mac salad.

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 4

For the chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts, (1.5 pounds)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons oil, vegetable, canola, or light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the fettuccine:

• water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
• 12 ounces fettuccine

For the Alfredo sauce:

• 3/4 cup butter, (1 and 1/2 sticks)
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream*
• 1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adds flavor not heat
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 & 1/2 cups FINELY shredded block Parmesan cheese
• To garnish:
• extra parmesan cheese, to garnish
• chopped parsley, to garnish

Prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, to create a thin cutlet. Or you can buy chicken already cut into cutlets. 

In a small bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Pat the chicken with paper towels on both sides until it is very dry. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken on both sides, and rub in. [JW note: I rarely cook chicken like this. I prefer my chicken to be bite size already so I don't have to deal with a knife. Lame? Maybe. If you choose to do that, just sprinkle the seasoning over the pile of diced up chicken.]

Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium high heat for at least 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer right away.

Carefully place the chicken in the pan. Once it touches the pan you can't move it, so arrange accordingly. Do not crowd the chicken. If your pan isn't big enough, do it in batches. Do not touch, poke, or move the chicken at all. It needs to stay put to get a nice sear.

Once all the chicken is in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. 

Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken, swirling the pan as necessary to coat with oil. Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and swirl the pan as it melts. (The butter helps the chicken to brown, and brings flavor.) Cook the chicken on the second side for about 2 minutes, until the other side is a deep golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave all juices in the pan.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions. Drain when done.

Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don't let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

Slowly add 2 cups of cream while stirring. Its really important your cream is at about room temp. Take your time. Add 1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Let the cream mixture cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until you see gentle bubbles on the side of the pan. Do not bring to a full boil; your sauce will break (meaning it will look curdled instead of smooth). Lower the heat to medium low.

Finely shred 1 and 1/2 cups parmesan cheese using the finest grater. I do not recommend using pre shredded parmesan (and definitely not the powdered stuff). Pre-grated cheese will not melt as well, and your sauce will be clumpy. [JW note: The recipe is not wrong, don't use pre-grated parmesan. It's got too many fillers and doesn't melt as nicely. Spend the time to grate your own. You'll appreciate it. I promise it.]

Add the cheese to the sauce just a few tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle some in and stir for a bit to help it melt, then add a bit more cheese, stir, etc. This will help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, making a smooth sauce.

Once all the cheese is added in, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as you like.

Add the noodles in batches so that it all gets coated well in sauce. Add in about 1/3, stir to coat, the next 1/3, and so on.

Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the chicken into strips against the grain. You can either plate the pasta and arrange the chicken on top to serve, or add the chicken to the pasta in the pan and stir it all together.

Top each serving with extra parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley!