This Big Mac Pasta Salad takes all the best parts of a classic burger — the seasoned beef, pickles, cheese, and creamy sauce — and turns them into a hearty, crowd-pleasing pasta salad. It’s cold, crunchy, savory, and a little tangy, with just enough familiar flavor to make everyone go back for seconds.
Instead of leaning on heavy dressings or complicated steps, this recipe keeps things simple and focused on flavor. The savory beef grounds it, the crisp vegetables bring freshness, and the creamy dressing ties it all together.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Making the Big Mac Sauce Into A Dressing
The “Big Mac” dressing combination was tested several times to hit the right balance between creamy and tangy. Thousand Island dressing gives that unmistakable flavor base, while mayonnaise smooths it out. Together, they make a sauce that clings perfectly to the rotini. If you like extra tang, stir in a teaspoon of pickle juice or add a few more diced pickles before chilling.
Salt is optional — the pickles, cheese, and dressing add plenty of flavor on their own. It’s best to taste after chilling before deciding if it needs any.
Make This Pasta Salad In Four Easy Steps
Prep Tips
- Cool before combining – Hot pasta or beef will melt the cheese and change the texture.
- Fold gently – It keeps the lettuce from bruising and helps the dressing coat evenly.
- Chill at least two hours – This resting time lets the flavors settle and the sauce thicken slightly.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The flavor keeps getting better as it sits. Do not freeze — the lettuce and dressing won’t hold up.
If you’re prepping in advance, you can mix everything except the lettuce and dressing. Add those a couple of hours before serving for the best texture.
Serving Suggestions
Just before serving, top with dill pickle chips and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for that subtle burger-bun nod.
More Big Mac Inspired Recipes
Big Mac Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 x-large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta, cooked al dente and drained
- 1 pound hamburger, browned and drained
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese cubes,
- 1 ½ cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup onion, minced
- 1 ½ cups dill pickle, diced
- 1 ⅓ cups thousand island dressing
- ⅔ cup Mayonnaise
- dill pickle chips, optional garnish
- ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds, optional garnish
Instructions
- Be sure to let your rotini and hamburger fully cool before continuing with assembly of the pasta salad.
- Place the pasta, hamburger, cheese cubes, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and diced dill pickles in an x-large mixing bowl. Gently fold together until thoroughly mixed.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the thousand island dressing and mayonnaise and stir until combined.
- Pour the dressing over the top of the pasta salad and gently fold again until all the ingredients are fully coated with the dressing.
- Cover and place in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours or until chilled through. You can eat the salad immediately, if desired, the flavors just get much better when everything is left to chill for a bit.
- Garnish with dill pickle chips and white sesame seeds, if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. Do not freeze.
- Big Macs do not have tomatoes, so you don’t have to include those in the recipe if that’s your preference. The red is just a nice pop of color.
- You can use grape tomatoes instead of cherry. Whatever you have on hand is fine, in general.
- Some people prefer salt in this salad. I like it both ways, so it’s totally up to your preferences on whether you add it or not.
- When chopping everything, I ensure it’s a nice bite size and not too big.
- This makes it easier to get more than one ingredient in each bite. This makes quite a bit of salad. If you don’t need a large amount, I suggest halving the recipe.
Nutrition
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