Big Mac in a Bowl (Printable)

A healthier twist on the classic burger bowl with seasoned beef, crisp vegetables, and signature sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1.1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 1/2 tsp salt
03 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
04 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 2 dill pickles, diced

→ Cheese

09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Special Sauce

10 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
11 - 1 tbsp ketchup
12 - 1 tbsp yellow mustard
13 - 1 tbsp dill pickle relish
14 - 1 tsp white vinegar
15 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
16 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
17 - 1/2 tsp paprika

# How to Cook:

01 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook while breaking up the meat until browned and cooked through, approximately 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
02 - While beef cooks, chop the lettuce, halve the tomatoes, slice the onion, and dice the pickles. Set aside in separate containers.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle relish, white vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika until smooth and well combined.
04 - Divide chopped lettuce evenly among 4 serving bowls. Layer ground beef, tomatoes, sliced onion, diced pickles, and shredded cheddar cheese on top of each portion.
05 - Drizzle each bowl generously with the special sauce. Serve immediately while beef is warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • All the Big Mac nostalgia hits in 25 minutes flat, which means weeknight dinner doesn't feel like a compromise.
  • The special sauce is genuinely addictive and tastes like you cracked some secret McDonald's code in your own kitchen.
  • You get to eat with your hands messy if you want, or use a fork like a normal person—no judgment either way.
02 -
  • If your special sauce breaks or looks separated, it means the ingredients weren't at the same temperature—whisk in a teaspoon of cold water and it'll come back together like magic.
  • The moment you drain that beef fat is the moment you need to taste it for seasoning, because once you've poured in the lettuce, it's too late to adjust.
03 -
  • Brown the beef in batches if you need to—overcrowding the pan steams it instead of searing it, and you lose all that color and crust.
  • Double the special sauce recipe and keep it on hand because it becomes the condiment you reach for on everything, from scrambled eggs to leftover roasted vegetables.
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