Homestyle Big Mac Soft Tacos
If you love tacos and the brilliant Big Mac, why not combine them!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
The recognizable flavor, interesting ingredients, and overall freshness make Big Mac tacos an absolutely delightful alternative to the usual ‘Taco Tuesday’ meal. Despite my enduring love for McDonald’s iconic Big Mac burger, I was anxious about creating a taco meal with almost the same ingredients, and how it was going to taste. I didn’t want to try some Big Mac tacos and be disappointed on two fronts. I need not have worried, because the tacos were epic!
What I enjoyed most about making Big Mac tacos was that I could do so within the confines of a regular family-sized taco kit. With an autistic child that will only eat tacos one way (and his brother will only eat what the eldest eats on Taco Tuesday) being able to use the normal, familiar approach and build out the other ‘fancy’ tacos with diverse ingredients made the experience more enjoyable and completely stress-free. I even got the young bloke to give one a cautious taste – a huge achievement!
While you can cook ground beef and season it to resemble a burger, or even cook your tacos as patties and break them up, I found that it was delicious (and simpler) cooking my regular kit of ground beef with seasoning, then using pickles, red onions, tomato, sesame seeds, and Kraft cheese slices to help make the exciting Big Mac effect.
The key to a successful Big Mac taco, just like the burger, is the special sauce. The combination of the lovely, sweet special sauce working with salty but juicy sliced pickles and sharp red onion was completely droolworthy. Mine was close to the Big Mac special sauce, however I opted to forgo a couple of ingredients – such as finely chopped onion – as a time saver, thinking that with the other ingredients involved the taco was going to pop with freshness and flavor anyway (I was right!).
I found that best tasting way to build a Big Mac taco is by first layering the soft tortilla with lettuce, then ground beef, sliced cheese, tomatoes, pickles and red onion. From there, you can finish it off with a generous amount of special sauce, and perhaps a spicy dipping sauce, if you prefer a bit more heat.
I really enjoyed this crossover between two of my favorite comfort foods and highly recommend making Big Mac tacos. I know now that whenever the fancy takes me, it’s really easy to switch up our taco dinner with a fabulously fresh alternative while not complicating the meal for my traditional, kit-loving kids!
Homestyle Big Mac Soft Tacos
Yield(s): Makes 10 tacos
15m prep time
10m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons light French salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, for topping
For the Tacos
- Cooking spray oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix
- 10 soft flour tortillas
- 5 individual cheese slices (cut in half)
- 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 10 iceberg lettuce leaves (stem removed)
- 4 dill pickles, sliced
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Add sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir thoroughly to combine. Put the sauce into an airtight container and place in the fridge (it will keep for 3-5 days comfortably).
- Spray a frying pan lightly with oil, then brown the ground beef for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat, draining any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix and cook according to directions, or until sauce is thick and rich.
- While the ground beef is cooking, cut lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, onions and cheese slices as required, and place into separate serving bowls.
- Heat tortillas in a frying pan at medium temperature for 30 seconds on each side (or in the microwave for 30 seconds)
- Remove sauce from the fridge, and top with sesame seeds. Place serving bowls on a large wooden chopping board and serve immediately at table.
- The best tasting way to build a Big Mac taco is by layering the soft tortilla with lettuce, then ground beef, sliced cheese, tomatoes, pickles and red onion. Finish off with a generous amount of special sauce.
Recipe adapted from In Krista’s Kitchen