How Do You Make Taco Salad
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Crumble in beef in chunks. Let sear until browned on bottom, about 3 minutes then turn and break up beef and continue to cookie until cooked through.
- Drain fat from beef then stir in salsa, chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat through, about 1 minute.*
- Layer lettuce among individual plates. Top with chips, beef mixture, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and sour cream. Serve immediately.
How To Make Taco Salad Bowls
Taco Salad For Your Taco Bowl Shells
Ok. The shells are the hard part. Everything else is easy.
Add your protein to a pan and get it browning over medium-high heat. Add whatever spices you like to it.
Ideally, you might have some homemade taco seasoning that you could add in, but at a minimum, add some cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt, and salt and pepper.
Cook this for about ten minutes until the beef is browned and all the spices are mixed in. Be sure to taste the seasoning and adjust it to your liking.
Then stir in your black beans and your ground beef mixture is ready to go.
There are at least a dozen fun toppings you could add to this salad, but some essentials are definitely avocado, tomato, and red onion.
The only real trick about building the salad is to start with lettuce and make sure your lettuce is nice and dry. If its wet at all, itll make your Homemade Taco Bowl soggy.
Then pile on your chicken/beef mixture and top it to your hearts content!
The salad is great on its own, but being able to break off pieces of the Homemade Taco Bowl and eat it with the salad is really the best part.
In fact, I dont think Betsy finished her actual salad, but she did finish the bowl!
The homemade taco bowls are a bit of work, but they are really fun and totally delicious.
Give them a shot if you are feeling ambitious!
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How To Make A Taco Salad Shell
Spray taco shell molds and place on baking sheet. If you do not have molds, no worries!! You can use a oven safe dish. I like to use a medium size Pyrex dish. Put it upside down and lay tortilla over
Add one tortilla per mold
Bake at 375F in oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy and no longer limp.
Wonderfully crispy and crunchy!
Ready for taco salad now!! You can also use these shells for holding dips and chips.
Fill with your favorite lettuce and toppings! I like tomato, onion, sour cream, cheese and avocado ranch. For mor creative ideas, HannahsFoodJourney.com
- 2.0 Large flour tortillas
- 2.0 Salad shell mold or Oven safe glass bowl
- Butter or olive oil
A Little Spicy A Little Creamy And A Lot Awesome Meet The Best Taco Salad Dressing Ever

Honestly, this taco salad dressing recipe is downright fancy compared with what we grew up eating. The classic taco salad dressing is basically just salsa and sour cream stirred together until a dressing-like consistency is achieved. And you know what?! That is actually pretty darn yummy. But we really wanted to be sure that we were making the ery best taco salad ever, and that meant really nailing this dressing recipe. So we dressed up the classic just a bit. Its a little herby-er, a little spicier and, well, honestly a little better than the old school way of making taco salad dressing. We feel that its very true to the spirit of taco salad, its just better. To make this taco salad dressing, blend together:
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Sour cream
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Lime juice
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Salsa .
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Fresh jalapeño
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Cilantro
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The Best Beefy Taco Salad Recipe
Most everyone has had a taco salad at a restaurant before. It’s delicious, has an explosion of flavors, and is a great way to switch up the normal Tex-Mex-style dish. Instead of going out to get one next time, try making on at home. Making your own is very easy, much less expensive, and tastier! You can even use leftover burgers to make this recipe. Just crumble up the beef and add it to the veggies after they have been sautéed. If you’re doing this, start cooking the onions and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
You can serve this salad two ways: add the hot beef mixture to the greens right away, or cool the beef mixture for about 30 minutes and refrigerate it. Then stir well and use it to top the greens.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Everything can be prepped a day or two in advance. Reheat the meat mixture in the microwave or in a skillet, and serve hot.
To freeze: Allow meat mixture to cool completely and store in freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
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Ingredients For Taco Salad
There are a gazillion taco salad recipes out there, but what sets this recipe apart is the 1) tantalizing beef seasoned with homemade taco seasoning, 2) charred sweet corn, and 3) the BEST Cilantro Lime Dressing. Heres what youll need:
The LETTUCE
- Romaine lettuce. TacoSalad begins with a crunchy lettuce base. I prefer Romaine because its sturdy, cool andcrunchy and holds up for an extended period of time without becoming soggy.
- Other lettuce options. You may also choose iceberg lettuce or half iceberg lettuce andhalf Romaine lettuce. When using lettuce, discard any flimsy outer leaves for thecrunchiest lettuce.
The Meat options
THE TOPPINGS
THE CRUNCH
How To Make Taco Salad Dressing
This dressing couldnt be easier to make. Especially because we always have these three bottles on hand: Thousand island dressing, Western or a zesty French dressing, and a mild taco sauce. If you like more heat, use a spicier taco sauce.
Just measure out each of these according to the recipe below and stir them together.
That is it!
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Crunchy Bubbly Taco Salad Bowls
The best thing about eating a taco salad at a restaurant is the crunchy tortilla bowl. Am I right?
The golden color and crisp airy bubbles are so alluring, its hard not to break off a big chunk of bowl before ever picking up your fork!
At restaurants, taco salad bowls are made by deep-frying extra-large flour tortillas in a specially-shaped frying basket.
However, most of us dont have deep fryers at home. And if you try to just bake tortilla bowls, they come out crisp, but not puffy and bubbly.
So today Im going to teach you a quick trick to making crispy taco salad bowls at home, without a deep fryer!
Perfect Tortilla Bowls At Home
Our secret taco salad bowl recipe hack requires two quick-cooking steps
First, you pan-fry the tortillas in a small amount of oil, so they puff up with ethereal bubbles.
Second, you bake the tortillas.
I know this sounds like more work, but its actually very easy.
Flash frying the tortillas gives them lift, color, and coats them in oil, so they can continue to crisp up in the oven.
Then you simply shape the puffy tortillas in cereal bowls and pop them in the oven.
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Healthy Taco Salad Tips
How To Fry Taco Shells

Frying tortillas into tacos shells is the method most commonly used by famous fast-food chains, taco stands, and food trucks across the USA. For this method, you need plenty of hot vegetable oil to create crunchy taco shells. For that reason, itâs really not the healthiest option, but the results are super delicious!
*You need the oil to be sizzling hot, or you wonât get crispy hard taco shells! The oil should be at least a hot 350 degrees Fahrenheit if you were to temperature check it.
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Easy Homemade Taco Shells From Scratch
Simple homemade taco shells from scratch: tacos are not difficult to make at all with my easy step-by-step recipe and picture guide. Give this one a try!
Why would you want to try my recipe for taco shells at home?
Sure you can easily find ready made taco shells in your local supermarket but those are usually the crunchy kind.
I honestly prefer the soft taco shells actually.
So here is a great summer recipe for you to try out when you are in for a challenge: homemade taco shells from scratch!
Do you like making flour doughs at home?
Then this recipe for taco shells is right up your alley!
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How To Make Taco Salad:
For a crowd, or if uncertain of your guests preferences, set up a build-your-own taco salad bar.
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Process Cooking Taco Salad
Brown ground beef in medium skillet.
Drain and add taco seasoning packets. Follow specificed instructions for making taco meat..
Remove from heat and let cool.
Prep the lettuce, tomato, beans, onion..
Crush up the tortilla chips into smaller chunks.
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.
Serve and enjoy!.
**TIPS: This makes alot. Like.. mix it in a huge bowl. The chips will get soggy if not eating it all that day. Leave the chips out and add in as you go..
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Taco Salad Recipe With Homemade Tortilla Shell Bowls
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Taco salad has been my go-to meal lately. It is so yummy, healthy, delicious and versatile. Some may call them tostadas, but this is the ultimate taco salad recipe made with homemade tortilla shell bowls.
It took me a few times to master these tortilla bowls. I love the ones you get at a Mexican restaurant that are so bubbly and crispy. I think those might be deep fried, so I made the healthier choice and perfected these by cooking them in the oven.
You can make this taco salad vegan, vegetarian or use substitutions for any of the ingredients to suite your dietary needs and tastes. I usually serve this family style so that my kids will pick out what they want from all the ingredients or toppings.
Aside from the amazing edible tortilla bowl, there are so many possibilities for making this the best taco salad ever! For protein, you can add any combination of carne asada, chicken, fish, pork and beans. Ive really enjoyed mine with black beans and chicken.
Because I love ranch so much, I love pouring some homemade ranch on top. You can also add a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo or your favorite hot sauce.
This meal is so easy and great to have when you dont know what to do about dinner. Usually I already have most of these ingredients in my kitchen anyways.
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Baked Taco Shells Are Just As Good As Fried
May 13, 2016
A few months ago I fried up some taco shells at home by dipping corn tortillas in a skillet full of hot oil.
Then I tried baking them instead of frying them, and I havent gone back to the frying pan since.
Youve got lots of options on how to bake a batch, so here are some of the key details to keep in mind if you want a healthier version of the classic hard taco shell.
Essential Ingredients In The Best Taco Salad Recipe
There are many ways to make a taco salad its more of a concept than an exact recipe. The original idea is Tex-Mex in origin and started back in the 1960s. Here well cover all the essential parts of a taco salad, then you can customize it to your hearts content! With that in mind, here are the essential ingredients in a taco salad recipe:
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Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls
Make homemade taco salad bowls right in your air fryer in minutes using flour tortillas. Healthier than fried and so simple to make!
Who doesnt love a good taco salad? Especially when you can eat the bowl its in?! This technique for Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls will blow your mind. They are so easy!
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Consider Topping The Taco Bowl Shells With These Taco Salad Fillings:

- Shredded Romaine
Yes and no. Yes, you can follow this exact process, with corn tortillas, to make crunchy corn tortilla bowls.
However, its hard to find extra-large corn tortillas so the bowls will not be as large.
Also, there will be small bubbles from frying, but you will not get the massive bubbles with corn tortillas, that you do with flour tortillas.
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Beef Taco Salad Bowls
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Beef Taco Salad Bowls Making homemade taco salad bowls is so easy and theyre perfect for holding this family-favorite taco salad including seasoned ground beef, black beans, cheese and more! Everything is topped with a creamy lime-cilantro dressing thatll have everyone finishing their salad!
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How To Serve Taco Salad
- Taco Bar you can arrange all of the ingredients in separate bowls and let your guests build their own custom taco salads. We love this option when there are gluten-free or keto dinner guests. P.S. You can get gluten-free taco seasoning.
- Layered Salad if you want to serve this as one large salad for a party, you can assemble it in a 9×13 glass casserole as a layered taco salad starting with the lettuce then beef, and sprinkle remaining toppings evenly over the top.
- Taco Salad Bowls serve this as a side salad or as a main course. Divide lettuce between bowls, add ground beef, and desired toppings.
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