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Big Mac Pasta Salad

Big Mac Pasta Salad is a burger-inspired pasta salad with ground beef, shredded cheddar, diced pickles, and crunchy iceberg lettuce tossed in a tangy special sauce. It’s a copycat-style crowd-pleaser that chills for a thick, well-coated bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Big Mac Pasta Salad
  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp burger seasoning
  • 2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 0.5 cup dill pickles, diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp pickle juice
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 sesame seeds for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions until tender, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Brown the beef
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then brown ground beef with burger seasoning; drain off excess fat and cool until warm or room temperature.
Make the Big Mac sauce
  1. In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle juice, and sugar until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine elbow macaroni, ground beef, shredded iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, diced dill pickles, and finely diced red onion.
Coat and chill
  1. Pour the Big Mac sauce over the salad and toss until every bite looks evenly coated.
Finish
  1. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors meld, then sprinkle sesame seeds for garnish and serve cold.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta thoroughly and cool the beef before mixing so the sauce clings instead of turning watery; chill in a covered container. Store refrigerated up to 3 days; freezer not recommended. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise (same amount) to reduce calories while keeping the tangy sauce.