Garbage Plate

Get ready to experience the most gloriously messy, indulgent comfort food masterpiece that Rochester, New York has ever gifted to the world!

This isn’t just a meal – it’s a beautiful chaos of flavors that somehow creates the perfect harmony on your plate.

Picture this: crispy golden fries mingling with creamy mac salad, juicy cheeseburgers drowning in tangy meat sauce, all topped with sharp raw onions and finished with a symphony of condiments.

Every single bite delivers a different combination of textures and flavors that’ll have you wondering why you’ve never tried this legendary creation before.

Ingredients

For the Base:

• 1 ½ cups cooked French fries (or home fries)
• 1 ½ cups macaroni salad (prepared from deli counter works perfectly)

For the Protein:

• 2 grilled cheeseburgers

For the Sauces & Toppings:

• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• ½ cup meat hot sauce
• ⅓ cup fresh chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot

For Serving:

• 2 slices Italian bread (day-old works best for sopping!)

Steps

1. Begin by creating your foundation on a large dinner plate. Place the 1 ½ cups of fries on one half of the plate and the 1 ½ cups of mac salad on the other half. The contrast between the golden crispy fries and creamy white mac salad creates the classic garbage plate visual that’s instantly recognizable.
2. Position your 2 grilled cheeseburgers directly on top of the fries and mac salad base. The burgers should be hot and freshly grilled – internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) for food safety. The heat from the burgers will slightly warm the ingredients below, which helps meld all the flavors together.
3. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard evenly across the burgers and exposed areas of the plate. Don’t be shy here – the tangy mustard cuts through the richness and adds that essential acidic bite that balances the heavy components.
4. Pour a generous ladle of the ½ cup meat hot sauce over the entire plate, focusing on the burger areas but letting it cascade down onto the fries and mac salad. The sauce should be heated to 140°F (60°C) and have a consistency similar to thick chili – it should coat everything without being too watery.
5. Sprinkle the ⅓ cup of fresh chopped onions evenly across the top of everything. The raw onions provide a sharp, pungent contrast that cuts through all the rich, creamy elements. Dice them finely – about ¼-inch pieces – so they distribute evenly in each bite.
6. Add the final flavor boosters by drizzling the 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 2 teaspoons of Frank’s Red Hot in artistic swirls across the plate. Now comes the fun part: cut up your burgers into bite-sized pieces using a knife and fork, then mix everything together until you have a glorious, messy combination. Use the 2 slices of Italian bread to sop up every drop of the flavorful juices – day-old bread works best because it’s sturdy enough to handle all that sauce without falling apart.

Smart Swaps

• Turkey burgers instead of beef (reduces calories by about 100 per serving)
• Sweet potato fries for regular fries (adds fiber and vitamins)
• Greek yogurt-based mac salad instead of mayo-heavy versions

Make It Diabetes-Friendly

Replace regular fries with baked cauliflower fries (reduces carbs from 45g to 8g per serving). Use whole wheat bread instead of Italian bread to add 4g fiber and reduce glycemic impact. Substitute sugar-free ketchup to eliminate 8g added sugars. Consider using lean ground turkey (93/7) for burgers to reduce saturated fat by 60%. These modifications reduce total carbs by approximately 35g per serving while maintaining the authentic garbage plate experience. Pair with a small side salad to further slow carb absorption.

Pro Tips

• Warm your plate in a 200°F (93°C) oven for 2 minutes before assembly – keeps everything at perfect eating temperature longer
• Make extra meat sauce and freeze in ice cube trays for quick future garbage plates