Get ready to up family dinner night with this weeknight winner, Big Mac Sloppy Joes! Inspired by McDonald's Big Mac secret sauce, this copycat one-pot meal is ready in 30 minutes. We love this easy homemade twist on the classic sloppy joe.
Why This Recipe is the Best
This is a quick and easy weeknight meal. We don't go out to eat often, so it's really fun to be able to make a copycat meal that's both affordable and delicious. It's also a family favorite, making it easy to add to the dinner menu rotation.
These other 30-minute or less meals are quick and easy and perfect for any busy weeknight. Try our rattlesnake pasta, air fryer pierogi and kielbasa, and Tater Tot Casserole.
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Key Ingredients
We tried hard to replicate the original Big Mac as best as possible. With this ingredient list, we've even added the secret sauce you love.
- Ground Beef- Use lean ground beef with less fat for a better cooking experience.
- Yellow Onion- You don't saute the onion like most ground beef recipes. This makes the onion just like you would find on the original sandwich.
- Dill Pickles- The added dill pickles make the Sloppy Joe Recipe stand out. It adds a unique taste and a great texture.
- Thousand Island Dressing and Mayonnaise- While we don't have the exact formula for mac sauce, the combo of these two ingredients is pretty close. It tastes great!
- Cheddar Cheese- Though not originally part of McDonald's Big Mac, this Joe Recipe is enhanced by the cheddar cheese taste. It really brings the other ingredients together.
- Sesame Seed Bun- This is a staple to make this a true copycat Big Mac recipe. It adds to the look and even the taste!
- Ice Burg Lettuce- I usually prefer romaine lettuce, but for this meal, Ice Burg Lettuce completes the look and taste.
How to make Big Mac Sloppy Joes
This is a great 30-minute meal. Use these step-by-step photos for the best results.
- In a large skillet, on medium heat, cook the ground beef until completely cooked through (there should be no pink). As the meat cooks, break it into smaller pieces. Turn the heat to low. Add in chopped dill pickles and yellow onion.
- Mix together the Thousand Island dressing and mayo to make the copycat McDonald's secret sauce.
- Mix in the thousand island dressing mixture into the ground beef, onion, and pickle mixture. Stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in shredded cheese. Mix until the cheese is completely melted.
- Prepare a sesame seed bun, toasted or not, with shredded iceberg lettuce. On the bottom bun, add the copycat Big Mac ground beef mixture.
Hint: Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go before cooking the ground beef. Once the ground beef is cooked, each step goes quickly!
Top Tip
This meal is fun and easy to make! It comes together incredibly quickly, so it's essential to have all the ingredients pre-chopped and ready to go. It's much easier to assemble when everything is prepped.
Recipe
Big Mac Sloppy Joes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ¾ cup Yellow Onion diced
- ½ cup Dill Pickles diced
- ½ cup Thousand Island Dressing
- ¼ cup Mayonaise
- 1 teaspoon Table Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Sesame Seed Buns
- 2 cups Ice Burg Lettuce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, on medium heat, cook the ground beef until completely cooked through (there should be no pink). As the meat cooks break into smaller pieces.
- Turn heat to low. Add diced dill pickles and yellow onion. Stir the diced pickles and yellow onions into the ground beef mixture to make it evenly mixed.
- Mix together the thousand island dressing and mayo to make the copycat McDonald's secret sauce.
- Mix in the thousand island dressing mixture into the ground beef, onion , and pickle mixture. Stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in shredded cheese. Mix until cheese is completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Prepare a sesame seed bun, toasted or not, with shredded ice burg lettuce. On the bottom bun, add copy cat big mac mixture.
Notes
- Prep the vegetables before cooking the ground beef. The whole cooking process goes quickly once started.
- You can use just A Thousand Island dressing but combining it with the mayonnaise tastes really great.
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for a leaner meat.
- Use a gluten free bun to make it a gluten free meal.
Nutrition
Have your favorite taste of onions and pickles on a sesame seed bun from the comfort of your home. A fun copycat McDonald's meal that brings fast food home with ingredients you can trust. This meal is a perfect weekday meal for any busy night. It comes together so fast!
Substitutions
- Bun - Use gluten-free buns instead of white bread buns to make this gluten-free.
- Vegetarian - The ground beef can be replaced with a plant-based burger to make this vegetarian
- Ground Turkey- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Ground Chicken - Use ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- Onion - instead of a yellow onion, you can use a purple onion or a white onion.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking ground beef.
- Deluxe - add pickles, avocado, or a cheese slice on top of the sloppy joe mixture.
Storing Big Mac Sloppy Joes
Store the lettuce and buns separately from the sloppy joe mixture in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Drea says
my family loved this sloppy joe copycat McDonalds meal. It was so quick and easy to make. My kids loved it too! I love finding kid friendly meals.
Shara says
Easy and delicious! It was a hit in our house!
Juliane says
My family loved this. Instantly family favorite! We will be adding this to our weekly meal plans.
Natalie says
I made this for dinner tonight. Way better than hamburger helper and still super quick and easy. I love fast meals. My boys were all over this. Thanks! It's so good!
Janae says
Family loved this. My hubby is a cabinet refinisher and works long days on his feet. He said he could come home to this every day 😂 thanks for the recipe!!!