Big Mac Salad (Weight Watchers)

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just have to have a Big Mac. But at the same time, I really don't want to blow a day's worth of calories and Weight Watchers points on one burger. That's why I created this healthy Big Mac Salad -it's a Big Mac in salad form and only 7 Weight Watchers points.

This Big Mac Salad recipe makes a hearty salad and is a great way to get your Big Mac fix in a healthy and guilt-free way, completely satisfying your craving. It's an easy-to-make, economical, and filling meal the whole family will enjoy. Trust me when I say, this salad will make you feel so satisfied; as if you had an actual Big Mac. I love this salad so much that it inspired my Healthy Big Mac Pizza and Healthy Big Mac bites (both are WW friendly)!

🥘 Ingredient Notes

I LOVE Big Macs and periodically I get a pretty overwhelming craving for them. But then I also want fries with it and there goes a couple days worth of points. So, this is a really great alternative. This salad is seriously like eating a Big Mac in a bowl, but with a little extra lettuce and tomatoes added to the mix.

For this recipe you'll need:

• Light mayonnaise. I use Hellman's ½ the fat, as it's the best tasting, in my opinion.
• Light Catalina dressing. I've come across many recipes that use Thousand Island Dressing, but I prefer my special Big Mac sauce with Light Catalina dressing. Try it and you'll see that it really does taste just like Mac special sauce! 
• Sweet pickle relish. It's important that you use sweet relish for this- it makes a big difference!
• Pickles. I use dill pickles.
• Extra lean ground beef. It's very important to use extra lean ground beef, as it's the lowest ww points.
• Low-fat cheddar cheese
• Thin buns. I use PC (President's Choice) whole grain thin buns, but there are several options out there such as Ozery bakery's "One Bun Thin Buns" and "Thin Slim Foods Zero carb hamburger buns"

*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Pickles: you can use dill pickles or bread and butter pickles - they both work well
• Lettuce: you can use romaine or leaf lettuce instead of iceberg lettuce
• Buns/bread: you can use a WW bread if you don't have thin buns. You can also skip the buns, if you prefer.
• Gluten-free: use gluten-free buns or skip the bun altogether!
• Dressing: French dressing can be substituted for Catalina
• Meat: use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef (although it won't taste quite as close to a Big Mac)
• Onion powder: you can use onion salt, but skip the salt in the recipe. *Note: you still may find it's too salty.
• Onion - you could use red onion or green onion instead of white or yellow onions

🔪 How to Make Big Mac Salad

This Big Mac salad recipe is easy to throw together.

Prep: Cook ground beef in a skillet, on the stovetop, over medium heat until cooked through (165 degrees F/ degrees C). Drain. * I often do this the night before.

1. Step 1: Add chopped pickles, onions, and Big Mac dressing (light Catalina salad dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, onion powder, salt, and vinegar) to cooked ground beef.

2. Step 2: Stir until thoroughly combined. *It's ideal if you can let this sit in the fridge and let the flavors meld together for a few hours, but it's not critical.

3. Step 3:.Cut both thin buns into "mini buns" with a small round cookie cutter (you can even use the round side of a large icing tip or anything small and round) *You should get 6 mini buns from each larger bun.

4. Step 4: Chop lettuce and tomatoes and add to a large bowl, then add meat mixture. Sprinkle cheese over the top of salad *You can grate your cheese on the smaller or larger side of the grater. I used the smaller side in the main photos and the larger side in the process photos. Top with sesame seeds and mini buns.

👪 Serving Size

This recipe serves 6 but it can be halved or doubled or tripled by simply clicking on the serving size in the recipe card and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly. A serving size is about ⅔ a cup of the meat/sauce mixture and 2 mini buns. You can add additional lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions without changing the WW point value.

🔢WW Points

This Weight Watchers Big Mac Bowl is 5 ww points. Considering traditional Big Macs are 24 Weight Watchers points on my WW plan, this salad is not only super filling, but it's a darn good deal as far as calories, fat, and WW points go! You can skip the buns to reduce the points, if you wish. A serving size is about ⅔ a cup of the meat/sauce mixture and 2 mini buns. You can add additional lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions without changing the WW point value.

🌡️Storing

Store the meat mixture in a separate airtight container from the 'salad' part and do not mix them together until you are ready to eat it. You can store this WW Big Mac salad for up to 2 days in the fridge. The 'buns' should be stored, in a separate container/Ziplock bag at room temperature.

❔ Recipe FAQ's