This Cheeseburger Salad is a craving buster! It tastes exactly like a Big Mac but is gluten-free and loaded with flavorful goodness. Perfect for a busy weeknight (even the kids love it) or a fun weekend treat!
Cheeseburger Salad?
What the heck is a cheeseburger salad anyway? If you are going to the trouble, why not just make a cheeseburger? Friends, I hear you. The recipe seems weird in concept, but once you try it, you’ll get it. It tastes exactly like a cheeseburger from good ole Micky D’s. Like, exactly. I was shocked at the first bite and felt it was my civic duty to go back for more. If you happen to be low-carb or even no-carb, this is the salad for you! Perfectly seasoned ground beef and all the typical burger fixins make this salad a keeper.
Cheeseburger Salad Dressing
First, let’s talk about this “dressing”. When making it I thought to myself… no. This can’t be right. It tastes like sour mustard!! Definitely not suitable for any other salad but this one. But let me tell you… when you combine it with the other ingredients in this recipe it takes on a whole new flavor aspect.
How to Make Cheeseburger Salad Dressing
If you do a double-take when seeing these ingredients, you are not alone.
- yogurt
- vinegar
- mustard
- ketchup
- paprika
- sugar (optional)
Sounds yummy! Or not. But just trust me on this. It will work.
Grab every ingredient except the sugar and add to a bowl. Stir well. Now, this is the important part… taste it. It’s lip-smackin for sure! I thought it was just a bit too mustardy, so I added a teaspoon of sugar. If you taste it and think it will be fine, feel free to omit that extra sugar. Set aside and start assembling your salad!
How to Assemble Cheeseburger Salad
When you are ready to assemble the salad, prepare your ground beef. This takes just 10 minutes, but if you are short on time you can prepare the ground beef, store in the refrigerator, and then warm it up right before use. I prefer the ground beef to be warm, not hot, on the salad.
Grab a big bowl and lay down a bed of lettuce. The recipe calls for 2 heads, but feel free to adjust that amount to suit your tastes. (I prefer less lettuce because I try to not eat healthily.) ?
Chop your tomatoes, onion, and pickles. A quick note about the pickles, if you can buy “dill chips”, they are the larger round slices of pickles that restaurants serve. Just don’t add “dill pickle chips” to your grocery list or your spouse will come home with a bag of dill pickle potato chips. #ithappenedtome
Add the beef, vegetables, and cheese to your bowl filled with lettuce. Sprinkle some salt and pepper (optional) and then drizzle on your dressing. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Toss the salad and serve!
This salad is best eaten right away.
INGREDIENTS
HAMBURGER
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional
SALAD
- 2 heads romaine lettuce (about 8 cups), chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 6-8 baby dill pickles, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
HAMBURGER
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add ground beef, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
DRESSING
In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt, vinegar, mustard, ketchup and paprika.
SALAD
In a large bowl, make a bed of the lettuce. Add the cheddar cheese, tomatoes, pickles, red onion, and ground beef.
Pour dressing over salad and then toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish.
