Whether you need a gluten-free alternative to the popular fast food burger, or you’re just looking for a new salad idea, this cheeseburger salad will quickly become a new favorite. You can top it with any protein you love, and it makes an easy option for meal prep this week. The dressing will keep well for up to a week in the fridge and also makes a delicious spread for sandwiches. If you need a vegetarian burger topping, use my veggie burgers or black bean burgers crumbled on top instead.
Healthy Big Mac Sauce Ingredients
The key to this easy salad recipe is the Big Mac sauce drizzled over the top. It’s made with a handful of pantry ingredients, without using refined sugar, oil, or mayo. If you’ve ever had Thousand Island dressing, it might remind you of that! Cashews give this sauce creaminess, without using mayonnaise, but if you need a nut-free option you can also swap these for hemp hearts. The combination of yellow mustard, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup tastes like you used ketchup and sweet pickle relish to make it.
How to Make a Big Mac Salad
To prepare the burger sauce, combine the cashews, water, vinegar, maple syrup, yellow mustard, tomato paste, onion powder, and salt in a high-speed blender. Secure the lid and blend until the cashews are pulverized about 60 seconds. Taste the sauce and make any adjustments, as needed. Then pour it into a jar and set it aside until you’re ready to assemble the salad. This dressing will thicken as it sits, so stir in an extra tablespoon or two of water if you need a runnier consistency later. To prepare the burger crumble, cook the lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper, then use a spoon or spatula to break up the meat and continue stirring until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess juices from the pan. For extra fiber (and to stretch your budget!) stir in the cooked lentils when the meat is cooked through. Season with extra salt and garlic powder, and continue cooking until the lentils have mixed in with the meat. Note: If you have leftover healthy burger patties to use up, you can simply warm one up and crumble it over this salad instead of making crumbled ground beef specifically for this recipe. It’s the perfect way to turn your leftovers into another meal! Once the beef is cooked (or you have a leftover beef patty to use up) the salad is ready to assemble. Start by adding chopped romaine lettuce to a bowl, then top it with some of the ground beef and lentil mixture. From there, you can add any other toppings you love. Use chopped Roma tomatoes or sliced grape tomatoes, diced dill pickles, red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, or any other items you have in the fridge. (Add sesame seeds to mimic a sesame seed bun!) Drizzle generously with the special sauce and toss well. Then the burger salad is ready to eat. Storage Tips: Store the leftover burger sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It will thicken when chilled, so you may need to stir in a tablespoon of water to thin it out again. Leftover burger crumbles can be stored in a separate airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Looking for more comforting salad recipes? Try Pizza Salad, Vegetarian Cobb Salad, or Italian Salad for more delicious ideas. If you try this Big Mac Salad recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
