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Big Mac Pasta Salad

Big Mac pasta salad with all the flavors of a classic burger—ground beef, shredded cheese, dill pickles, onions, and a tangy special sauce. Pasta is tossed with the toppings and chilled so it stays creamy, hearty, and easy to serve at parties.
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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
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Elbow macaroni
  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Burger seasoning
  • 1 tbsp burger seasoning Use your preferred burger seasoning blend.
Iceberg lettuce
  • 2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Cheddar cheese
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Dill pickles
  • 0.5 cup dill pickles, diced
Red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion, finely diced
Big Mac sauce
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp pickle juice
  • 1 tbsp sugar
Sesame seeds
  • 1 sesame seeds for garnish Optional, for topping.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta and beef
  1. Cook elbow macaroni according to the package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
  2. Brown ground beef in a cast iron skillet with burger seasoning until fully cooked, then drain and cool before assembling.
Make the Big Mac sauce
  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle juice, and sugar until smooth and evenly combined.
Assemble and chill
  1. Combine pasta, ground beef, shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, diced dill pickles, and finely diced red onion in a large bowl.
  2. Pour Big Mac sauce over the salad and toss to coat every ingredient.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and serve.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the cooked pasta and ground beef completely before mixing so the sauce doesn’t loosen. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; it’s not recommended to freeze due to lettuce texture. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise to reduce calories while keeping the classic tang.