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 recipe -it's a big mac in salad form and only 7 WW points on my plan. Plug it into the app to see how many points it is on your plan.
This Big Mac Salad is a heart salad and great way to get your Big Mac fix in a healthy way, completely satisfying your craving. It's an easy to make, economical and filling meal the whole family will enjoy and it's Weight Watchers friendly! Plus it comes with cute little buns!
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Considering a traditional big macs are 24 Weight Watchers points on my WW plan, this salad is not only super filling, it's a darn good deal as far as calories, fat and WW points go! This Weight Watchers Big Mac Salad is unbelievably tasty and will completely satisfy your craving in a healthy way. This Big Mac bowl is also a quick and easy meal that the whole family can enjoy and no one will even suspect it's Weight Watchers friendly!
🥘 Ingredients
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. Many of the recipes I've come across 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!
For this recipe you'll need:
- light mayonnaise
- light Catalina dressing
- sweet relish
- ketchup
- white vinegar
- onion powder
- salt
- pickles
- onion
- iceberg lettuce
- tomatoes
- extra lean ground beef
- low-fat cheddar cheese
- thin buns
- sesame seed
🍽 Equipment
Use a small round cookie cutter (affiliate link) to cut thin buns into "mini buns." 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.
🔪 Instructions
This Big Mac salad recipe is easy to throw together.
- Cook ground beef in frying pan, on stovetop, over medium heat until cooked through. Drain.
- Add chopped pickles, onions, and big mac dressing (light Catalina salad dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, onion powder, salt and vinegar) to ground beef and stir until thoroughly combined. *It's ideal if you can let this sit in the fridge for at least a few hours, but it's not critical.
- Chop lettuce and tomatoes and add to large bowl, then add meat mixture.
- Sprinkle cheese over top of salad.
- 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.
Like I said, you don't have to be following the Weight Watchers program to love this Big Mac in a Bowl. My teenage son thought it was 'amazing' and of course I never mentioned it was a WW Big Mac salad. I've seen a lot of this type of salad out there that are very low-carb (keto) - this is NOT that low-carb salad.
I still love and need my carbs and I love the iconic sesame seed bun that's part of the big mac, so I added the 'mini buns' because not only are they cute, they really make you feel like you're still eating a Big Mac. Because what's a Big Mac without bun?! And it's still NOT a high carb salad. That's why I love the WW program- nothing is off limits- it's all about balance. So go ahead, eat some carbs and indulge guilt-free!
👪 Serving Size
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. This recipe serves 6 but it can be halved or doubled or tripled by simply clicking on the blue serving size in the recipe card and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
💭 Can I make this Big Mac salad in advance?
YES! In fact, the 'burger' part of this easy recipe is best made in advance. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, making it ideal for meal prep. The tomato and lettuce portion is best made just prior to serving, but can be made a day in advance.
🌡️Storing
Ideally, you should store the meat mixture in a separate container from the 'salad' part and not mix them together until you are ready to eat it. You can store this big mac salad for up to 2 days in the fridge. The 'buns' should be stored, in a separate sealed container/Ziplock bag at room temperature.
📖 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.
- Gluten-free: use gluten-free buns or skip the bun all together!
- 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 - you could use red onion or green onion instead of white onions
If you're looking for a quick and easy meal idea that's sure to be a keeper or simply need a healthy and WW friendly Big Mac fix to cure those fast food cravings, then give this Big Mac Salad recipe a go! You won't be disappointed!
⭐ Reviews
Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
Here's what others are saying:
"So brilliant! I love the dressing and pickles, really tastes like the real thing! Thanks!."⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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📋 Big Mac Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup light mayonnaise * I use Hellman's ½ the fat mayonnaise
- ¼ cup light Catalina dressing *I use Kraft ( light French dressing can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 choppped pickles
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 heads iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cups cooked ground beef, extra lean * about 1 lb raw ground beef
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoon low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 thin buns, cut into small circles * I use President's Choice thin buns (PC thins)
- additional chopped/sliced pickles and onions
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet, on stovetop, over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain.
- Add chopped pickles, onions, light Catalina salad dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, onion powder, salt and vinegar to cooked ground beef and stir until thoroughly combined. *It's ideal if you can let this sit in the fridge for at least a few hours, but it's not critical.
- Combine lettuce and tomatoes and add to large bowl, then add meat mixture.
- Sprinkle grated cheese over top of salad.
- 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.
Garnish
- Add buns to the top of the salad.
- Add additional chopped pickles and onions, as desired.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Or store meat and lettuce/tomato mixture separately until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
🍽️More Weight Watchers Dinner Recipes~!
- Grilled Steak Salad with Feta and Clamato Dressing (Moxie's copycat)
- Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki - Weight Watchers friendly!
- Easy & Healthy Butter Chicken: Weight Watchers friendly & Gluten-free
- Healthy Classic Potato Salad- WW friendly
- Weight Watchers Pizza with 2 ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough
- Healthy Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta - WW friendly!
Shailaja Desai
This looks like a delicious and hearty salad...Love the mini bun cut outs too!!
Sabrina
So brilliant! I love the dressing and pickles, really tastes like the real thing! Thanks!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sabrina- glad you loved it!!
Ginni Kelley
The mini bun cut outs are a great idea! Loving the naughty named healthy recipe.
Terri Gilson
Thanks! I needed some kind of bun to make it truly big mac like 🙂
Bernice Hill
What a fun recipe! All the flavours you crave in a Big Mac in one bowl and so much healthier too.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Bernice! It really hits the spot!