"Big Mac" Salad

About

You will not miss the bread in this Keto “Big Mac” Salad! Crispy, buttery lettuce is topped with a crumbled hamburger, slices of dill pickles, squares of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, and a delicious cheeseburger sauce made from homemade mayo, paprika, garlic, and onion powders. The flavors scream cheeseburger and it is so good. It is easy to meal prep ahead as well as you can store all the salad ingredients together and heat the meat separately. I love the healthy fats and proteins in this meal!

What kind of ground beef should I use?

Please use 80% ground beef as the extra fat helps add satiety.

Do I have to make homemade mayo?

No, feel free to substitute the mayo with store-bought mayo. However, you can control the type of fat used in the homemade mayo to make it healthier.

How can I prep this meal ahead of time?

Feel free to wash and chop all the vegetables for this dish as well as slice the cheese. You can have all the ingredients that stay cold in a salad together in a container. The meat can be placed in a separate container so when you go to serve the meal, the beef can be heated separately and then placed on top of the cold salad ingredients. Of course, keep the dressing separate until it is time to serve.

Ingredients

4 ½ lb beef ground 80% lean 20% fat or hamburger patty raw
4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 large raw egg
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup avocado oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
18 oz lettuce
8 slice (from pre-sliced package) – each 3/4 ounce cheddar cheese
⅓ small red onion
½ cup dill pickles

Instructions

Wash the lettuce well and then slice it into 1” pieces. Spin it dry in a salad spinner and set aside. Slice the red onion into thin strips. Slice the cheese slices into small squares. Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, adding in 4 tsp kosher salt, 4 tsp garlic powder, and 2 tsp onion powder. Once browned and no longer pink, set aside while you make the mayo-based dressing.
In a blender, combine the egg, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp kosher salt, and dijon mustard.
Slowly add in 1 cup of avocado oil. It will not look very thick but will continue to thicken as it sets. Add in the paprika, remaining garlic powder, onion powder, and Lawry’s seasoning or another season-all type seasoning.
To assemble the salads, add about 2 ¼ oz of lettuce to each bowl, top it with the beef, the cheese squares, three pickles per bowl, and some of the red onion.
Dress the salad with the mayo and serve immediately.