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.
Taco Salad Dressing Recipe
Lets talk dressings, one of my required ingredients. You really can go wild when it comes to dressings for your taco salad, there are so many good options. Buttermilk Ranch and Thousand Island come to mind. But I love to make my own of course! Im including two dressing options that are both delicious, one is stupid simple, one is a little more involved but to DIE for.
Creamy Salsa Dressing: this is simple. Take the sour cream and the salsa that you were already planning to put on your taco salad, and mix them up beforehand. Add in a little taco seasoning and the juice from one lime to give it that acidic kick. I prefer to use Restaurant Style Salsa, either this homemade version or one from the store. Restaurant style just means that its blended rather than super chunky.
Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch: this is the dressing that I put on these Cafe Rio Burritos. Its made with mayonnaise, sour cream, serrano pepper, tomatillos, cilantro, and a dry packet of buttermilk Ranch. Its so incredibly tasty!! Definitely make this one if you have the time, it is well worth a quick process in the blender.
Tips For The Best Taco Salad Recipe
Here are my secrets to get yourself to the BEST taco salad situation:
- you must make a dressing, even if its an easy one
- avocados are required, either fresh or in guac form
- Taco meat must be beef. Sorry turkey, but no, you are not the best.
- Mix herbs in with your lettuce. Chop your lettuce into small easy-to-bite pieces.
- Dont skimp on the cheese! Cheese is everything!
- You must use Juanitas or Fritos. The end. Forever and ever amen.
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- Another go-to way to mix things up this tuesday taco night is to whip up some Taco Casserole. We packed this layered taco salad with all your favorite taco ingredients: beef, onions, cheese, salsa, and plenty of refried beans as well! Top off with some more cheese, lettuce, Fritos, and some sour cream for a delicious and filling casserole dish thats almost too easy to make.
- Taco Pasta is another cheesy and filling dinner dish that we love to make. This quick weeknight meal comes together quick and easy: cook up some taco meat, toss in some Rotel tomatoes, add your pasta and cheese and youre good to go. Its as easy as that: add in some black beans or corn to make this dish extra filling!
- If youre wanting to make tacos for a party, consider making some Walking Tacos instead. This classic fair food recipe sees you adding all your favorite taco ingredients to a bag of crushed up Doritos or Fritos. Tacos in a bag are so easy to make: set up a walking taco bar of ingredients and let people build their own!
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Diy Fiesta Taco Salad Recipe
First, youll cook the beef and add the seasoning packet and water. Then, mix in your beans, cheese and sour cream. Lastly, top with the fresh veggies and dressing.
The great thing about this salad is you can really customize your toppings to jazz it up. If youre a fan of spice, add some chopped jalapeños or chipotle peppers. If you miss the crunch of the Taco Bell Strips, add some tortilla chips to the top.
We like serving this up with a side of fresh guacamole and pico de Gallo. If youre not eating this salad to be healthy, you could even serve it in a tostada bowl to get the full Fiesta Taco Salad vibe. If youre able to snag some Taco Bell hot sauce, you just might trick yourself into thinking you ordered it in the drive-thru.
Get the recipe here.
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What Ingredients Go Into Taco Salad
- Olive oil for sautéing
- Lean ground beef I like to use 85% lean Angus beef.
- Roasted salsa I prefer the lightly charred depth of fire roasted salsa here but just about any bottled salsa will work .
- Chili powder and cumin these standard Mexican spices add lots of flavor.
- Salt and pepper what would food be without it?
- Cilantro the cilantro gives the filling the perfect fresh finish.
- Lettuce I think romaine is the best lettuce for taco salad but iceberg, green leaf or even spinach will work too.
- Tortilla chips, Mexican cheese, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream all these toppings together create the perfect blend of textures and flavors to compliment the beef.
How To Make A Taco Salad
Cook The Meat Start by browning the ground beef in a skillet. Once the meat has been cooked through, add the spices and give it a good mix. Let everything cook for an additional minute or two until the water evaporates.
Build It, They Will Come Sometimes I like to add a fresh Homemade Tortilla as the base of my taco salad but thats totally optional. Start by placing a layer of the chopped lettuce in the bowl. Next, layer in the various toppings you love and pile them as high as youd like.
Dressing You can certainly use your favorite store-bought dressings . However, I always like to use a homemade dressing for my taco salad. A couple of my favorite homemade dressings to drizzle on top are these Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing and Homemade Ranch Dressing.
My family loves it when I make this taco salad for dinner, and I love that I dont have to spend all evening cooking! Most of the ingredients can be prepped beforehand . This taco salad is the perfect easy meal!
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Tips For The Best Taco Salad
Use Lean Ground Beef Ground beef with a higher fat content will release more fat. Tilt the pan for the fat to pool at the corn of the pan then spoon off the excess fat. If you dont skim it off, the fat will solidify on the meat when it cools and you dont want that.
Assemble just before serving Mixed taco salad does not keep well as the salt in the pico and taco seasoning will wilt the lettuce over time. If you want to make this in advance, see the meal prep option below.
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What Happened During The Week
While this may have all translated to quite a large grocery haul and a lot of cooking on one weekend day, it also meant that just about all my cooking for the next week was about to be handled. Also, I was avoiding food waste because I was making exactly what I would be eating as the week progressed.
I used that turkey breast for dinner that nightit felt like a mini-Thanksgiving, all roasted and juicy and crispy. But the leftovers made for a delicious veggie and turkey stir fry the next day.
The brisket was a delicious dinner, as well. I paired these leftovers with some of the beans I had prepped for salad, and turned that into brisket taco bowls another night for dinner.
Always a crowd-favorite, those meatballs also store and freeze so well. They are excellent for a quick dinner on their own or added to sandwiches as a special lunch treat.
Here is how my three squares for the week generally played out:
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Tmp Presentsthe Ultimate Taco Salad Recipe
Firmly in the realm of Tex-Mex cuisine , classic taco saladloaded with beans, taco meat , cheese, corn and yes, a little lettuce in the mix, toois a form of comfort food for a lot of us. Its kinda retrotaco salad as most of us know it seems to date back to the 1960s and its just really gosh-darn satisfying. Taco salad is not what wed call a health food, but hey, it has the word salad in it so it cant be all bad . And most of all, its so, so easy to make and just good to eat. Everything delicious in the world piled onto a bed of lettuce with the best taco salad dressing everhint, it starts with sour cream and salsawell, theres not a soul on earth who would turn down a dinner this yummy.
Ultra Classic Taco Salad Ingredients = Ultra Classic Taco Salad
Alright, youve whipped up the greatest taco salad dressing in the history of taco salad dressings . And now its time to start actually making the taco salad. You decide if youd rather make it with ground chicken or ground beef. Or, you could even leave the meat off and make it a vegetarian taco salad, if youd like to! In addition to that, youll just need:
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What Type Of Dressing Should Be Used On Taco Salad
Taco salad dressing should complement all the taco salad ingredients.
Today we are using a cilantro lime dressing made with 4 easy ingredients. Such a classic recipe that goes well with any taco night, whether its tacos or taco salad.
Some other dressings that would pair perfectly with this healthy taco salad recipe include:
Taco Salad Done Right
Maybe youre thinking, taco salad? Meh. Id rather have tacos.
I get it, tortillas are tough to beat. But Im telling you, when you use the right ingredients and commit to making your own dressing, you will have a change of heart. You will go from thinking of taco salad as a second class healthy substitute to real tacos, to thinking mid-salad-chomp, Dang. This is legit amazing. And suddenly salad is no longer substandard.
Here are my secrets to get yourself to the BEST taco salad situation:
- you must make a dressing, even if its an easy one
- avocados are required, either fresh or in guac form
- Taco meat must be beef. Sorry turkey, but no, you are not the best.
- Mix herbs in with your lettuce. Chop your lettuce into small easy-to-bite pieces.
- Dont skimp on the cheese! Cheese is everything!
- You must use Juanitas or Fritos. The end. Forever and ever amen.
Read Also: Quick And Easy Layered Taco Salad Recipe
Easy Healthy Taco Salad Recipe With Ground Beef
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In my kitchen, hot summers equal easy, one-pan dinners that avoid the oven and dont require keeping the stove on for too long. Salads are perfect for checking those boxes, but of course you still need some protein in there to make it a full meal. Thats where this easy and healthy taco salad recipe with ground beef comes in youre going to love it!
Homemade Baked Tortilla Bowls:
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Pure Heaven In A Salad
The crushed Doritos give the taco salad intense flavor and crunch, while the ranch dip provides a zesty cool balance to the hot taco meat.
Heaven. The Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad Recipe is pure heaven.
However, this may not be the healthiest salad on A Spicy Perspective, but I assure you, your family will think its one of the best.
Be Patient When You Sear
You can, of course, add whatever meat you want to a taco salad. Leftover carnitas would be amazing, and so would grilled chicken. Even black beans would work as a vegetarian substitute. But if youâre going the ground beef route, remember that youâre hoping to get a lot of nicely crisp bits of beef in your salad, not just well done hamburger meat. That means that you want to let the meat sear, not just steam. The key here is patiencelet the beef brown in the pan without touching it for three or four minutes, and then break it up with your spatula.
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How To Make Taco Salad:
PrepToppings: chop lettuce and tomatoes, shred cheese.
Cook Taco Meat: Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Remove grease and add taco seasoning. Stir in the black beans and corn.
Assemble:Place each tortilla bowl on a plate or in a shallow bowl add a handful of romaine lettuce add meat mixture add veggies sprinkle with cheese add a dollop each of sour cream, salsa, guacamole and a sprinkle of cilantro.
Serve taco salad with horchata, or an ice cold lemonade! For dessert, try my sopaipillas or fresas con Crema !
Healthy Classic Taco Salad Recipe
I love to add crushed tortilla chips to my taco salad. What about you?
For me, it makes taco salad extra fun. Sure, you could serve them on the side with salsa or guacamole, but that crunch of tortilla chips in each bite is extra special.
Its the crouton of taco salad!
Another must in my taco salad is super flavorful lean ground beef with homemade taco seasoning.
When you use your own taco seasoning , you control the spice level.
We are a family with 2 adults, and 4 younger kids, so food cant be too spicy.
Youll find this taco seasoning to be at a good mild-medium heat level, but of course, spice it up to your personal preference!
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Ingredients To Make This Taco Salad Dressing Recipe
Because the meat mixture in most taco salads has a kind of Tex Mex thing going on, were going to use those same spices in the dressing. If you have a favorite taco seasoning, you can use that instead or try the Magic Spice Mix recipe in my cookbook, Plant Powered Mexican. Heres a run down of the ingredients:
What Are The Best Chips To Use For Taco Salad
Yes, I really wrote a whole section just about chips. ITS IMPORTANT.
Juanitas are the way to go. Have you ever tried Juanitas tortilla chips? I dont know if they are available everywhere, but if you can get your hands on them, buy out the store and tell the manager to order more. Thats how good they are. Ive never had a tortilla chip like it anywhere. I eat them by themselves, no dip necessary. These days my carb conscious self wont even bother with tortilla chips if theres no dip, but I make an exception for Juanitas.
The next best option, in my opinion, is to use Fritos. I love the corny flavor that Fritos lend, they are not the same as regular tortilla chips. They are super delicious on salad.
I know many of you grew up eating Doritos with your taco salad. I had never even heard of this, but I noticed the trend right away when I started researching recipes. I still say try out Juanitas if you can find it, but Doritos is gonna be a pretty amazing option too.
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Easy Homemade Taco Salad Recipe
Ive been eating taco salad as long as I can remember. Of course as a kid, in the 90s, my mom made the Dorito version and of course we loved that but now I prefer to make it with more natural chips.
Taco salad is one of the ultimate weeknight recipes. When theres not much time to make something taco salad is a great option, especially this version which uses ground beef , bottled salsa to add lots of flavor without the prep, and pre-shredded cheese.
Ingredients For Taco Salad
This taco salad recipe is completely adaptable to whatever you have on hand! Dont have ground beef handy? Use shredded chicken breast or ground turkey instead, or just double up on beans and serve a vegetarian taco salad. Do you have leftover vegetables in the fridge? Throw them in! I kept my toppings pretty simple for this salad, but you can make your salad as extravagant or as simple as you like.
I like to add a variety of textures and make sure I have at least one crunchy element. I love pre-cooked tortilla strips, but crumbled up tortilla chips work great too! I usually serve the taco salad by laying out all of the ingredients on the table and letting each person assemble their salad according to their own tastes. Some of our favorite taco salad toppings include:
- lettuce I like to use a mixture of Romaine and iceberg
- ground beef I use ground beef with a higher fat content for more flavor
- black beans or pinto beans
- fresh chopped cilantro
- tortilla strips broken tortilla chips work great and so can Doritos if you want to add a little extra flavor to the salad
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