This Easy Big Mac Casserole will give you all of the classic flavor of the popular burger from McDonald’s but without the carbs. This dish is baked with the special secret sauce, and topped with melted cheese and crunchy pickles. Serve it on a lettuce wrap or as a salad!
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Some of my most popular recipes are casseroles. Why? They are so easy and they reheat even better the next day! That makes it great for meal prep and freezer friendly, too!
Secret Sauce Ingredients
Oh the top secret sauce from McDonald’s! We have heard about it all of our lives, right? I’ve heard it compared to a Thousand Island dressing, but I honestly feel like it’s different!
The notable flavors come from mayo, pickle relish, and mustard. You can also taste the sugar! The sweet flavor comes from the relish and added sugar, but making your own relish is pretty easy. It’s a simple as chopping up pickles (which are naturally sugar-free) and adding your own low carb sweetener.
Here are the ingredients.
- Mayo (see substitutes in the post below)
- Mustard
- Unsweetened BBQ Sauce (You can also substitute unsweetened ketchup)
- Smoked Paprika (You can use regular, but it won’t taste the same)
- Pickles
- Sweetener (I use monkfruit)
- Vinegar
- Salt
McDonald’s adds a little ketchup to give the sauce it’s signature color. While testing this recipe I found that I actually love the flavor of adding a little BBQ sauce a lot more. It’s amazing, but if you want to substitute ketchup, go for it.
You can also check out my Keto Low Carb BBQ Sauce recipe here.
How to Make Big Mac Casserole
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, burger seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add in Worcestershire sauce and cream cheese.
- Remove the skillet from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, heavy cream, and all of the ingredients for the Big Mac Sauce.
- Pour the ground beef mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar.
- Drizzle the liquid mixture on top.
- Sprinkle 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake.
How to Reduce the Fat in the Recipe
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken
- Omit the cream cheese.
- Use low fat or reduced-fat mayo.
- Substitute mayo for plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.
What to Pair with the Casserole
- Crunchy lettuce like romaine to make it a lettuce wrap or a salad
- Small side salad
- Roasted veggies like Air Fryer Broccoli or Air Fryer Roasted Green Beans
- Keto Onion Rings
Can You Make it Ahead
No, I wouldn’t. You could cook the ground beef ahead and refrigerate it until you are ready to make the casserole, but that’s all I would do ahead of time.
How Long Will it Last in the Fridge
It will last 3-4 days tightly sealed in the fridge.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze this dish. I would slice it up into the servings first and then freeze it in a sealable container or bag. Defrost it overnight in the frige. Because it contains dairy, the dairy and cheese will separate when reheated.
More Casserole Recipes
Keto Low Carb Cheeseburger Casserole
Keto Low Carb Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
Keto Low Carb Bacon Egg Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Keto Low Carb Pizza Casserole
Big Mac Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef Or ground turkey or ground chicken.
- 1 teaspoon Burger or Steak Seasoning You can use your favorite rub. See notes below for how to make your own.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- additional sliced pickles Optional for topping.
Big Mac Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon bbq sauce I used unsweetened and sugar free.
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons diced pickles
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, burger seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Use a meat chopper and break the ground beef into chunks.
- Add the worcestershire sauce and cream cheese. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink and the cream cheese has melted.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Drain excess fat from the beef if necessary.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, and all of the ingredients for the Big Mac Sauce.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with oil or cooking spray (if necessary for the type of pan you use. I use ceramic and find it doesn't need it.) Pour the ground beef mixture into the dish. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar over the beef.
- Drizzle the liquid mixture on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar cheese on top. Add additional pickles slices to the top if you wish.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese has melted on top and the casserole has set. You can test if it has finished baking, by wiggling the baking dish. If the casserole has a jiggle then it has not set. Mine took 35 minutes to fully bake.
- Cool completely before serving. The longer it cools, the better it will set. I cool for 15 minutes. If you slice into it too soon, it will fall apart. It will also fall apart if it hasn't fully baked.
Video
Notes
- You can make your own burger seasoning using the following 1/4 teaspoon minced onions, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon coriander.
- Feel free to top it with sesame seeds to make it feel more like a Big Mac!
- Feel free to make additional sauce for drizzling.
- Coconut Aminos or soy sauce can be substituted for worcestershire sauce. It will not taste exactly the same.
- You can substitute white vinegars for others, but it won’t taste the same.
- McDonald’s adds a little ketchup to give the sauce it’s signature color. During testing this recipe I found that I actually love the flavor of adding a little BBQ sauce a lot more. It’s amazing, but if you want to substitute ketchup, go for it.
- You can substitute paprika for smoked paprika.
How to Reduce the Fat in the Recipe
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken
- Omit the cream cheese.
- Use low fat or reduced-fat mayo.
- Substitute mayo for plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.
Keri
Monday 7th of March 2022
BING BONG! ANOTHER HIT!
Made this tonight for a quick dinner and for lunch for the week at the office (yuck)
Fully anticipating my coworkers asking what it is and I will have my receipts ready.
10/10 like always!
staysnatched
Friday 11th of March 2022
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Kristin
Thursday 6th of January 2022
My whole family loved this recipe! Something different for our traditional family burger nights!
staysnatched
Sunday 9th of January 2022
Great for burger nights!
Mallory K
Wednesday 5th of January 2022
Such a tasty sub for a Big Mac without the carbs! And easy to whip up even after a long workday.
staysnatched
Thursday 6th of January 2022
I'm glad to hear it was easy.
Lisa
Monday 3rd of January 2022
This is delicious for the whole family and so simple! Can’t beat that!
staysnatched
Tuesday 4th of January 2022
I'm so glad to hear it.
Heather
Saturday 11th of December 2021
Another home run recipe. I’ve made this recipe 3 times in the last 3 weeks because it’s such a hit! It’s just as good with lower-fat beef or mayo. I’ve also used just the sauce recipe to add to burgers. Thanks!
staysnatched
Friday 17th of December 2021
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.