How To Make Easy Taco Salad

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes With Taco Salad

As stated earlier, taco salad is popular as a side dish or an appetizer.

Considering this, we can say its a light food item.

So, if you plan to have this as the main item, adding a side dish seems inevitable.

Perhaps a look into the ingredients would clear the doubt.

A taco salad is served in a fried tortilla shell with various toppings, including diced tomatoes, sour cream, iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, guacamole, and ground beef.

These are common ingredients that youll find in this salad.

Expect a burst of flavors in your mouth, and to neutralize the flavor, adding a side dish would be great.

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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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.

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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.

Is Taco Salad Unhealthy

My taco salad recipe contains 572 calories, 51 grams of carbs, and 29 grams of fat.

There are several ways to make this recipe healthier, however:

• Omit the tortilla chips and corn, and youll have a keto friendly meal.
• Use a leaner pack of ground beef to reduce the fat content, or swap the beef out for turkey.
• Replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt for more protein and less fat.

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The Topping Ingredients For Taco Salad

First things first, we need some lettuce. I prefer Romaine its the perfect blend of leafy green and CRUNCH. Green or red leaf is fine, or iceberg will do in a pinch. Chop your lettuce into nice easy bite size pieces we arent feeding dinosaurs. And for heavens sake, get yourself a salad spinner. One of the best kitchen purchases you will ever make! It simplifies the salad-making experience so much. Here is the exact salad spinner I have.

One of my best taco salad tips is to mix your herbs in with your greens. And by herbs in this case, I mean cilantro and green onions. I toss both of these ingredients in with my romaine, right in the salad spinner, and give it a whirl. It helps distribute them properly so that you get ultimate flavor in every bite of salad. Chopped cilantro tends to clump up and stay in little bits. This is a good way to spread the cilantro love. If you arent a cilantro lover, GET OUT OF HERE. Im just kidding. Kind of. Try to change your ways. I know, I know, its a gene and not your fault. Maybe )

Here is my ultimate ingredient list for the best taco salad:

• tomatoes, either cherry tomatoes or chopped roma, red vine, etc.
• sliced radishes

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:

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Liked This Recipe Try These Other Taco And Mexican Dinner Recipes Next

• 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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What Can I Prepare Ahead Of Time

If you dont want to assemble the complete taco salad, butwant to prep some of it ahead of time, heres how:

• Chop Vegetables: You can chop your lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and grill your corn ahead of time. Store veggies in separate airtight containers in sealable bag so the moisture doesnt wilt the lettuce or layer tomatoes, red onions, corn then lettuce in a bowl. I do not recommend storing your pre-cut veggies longer than a day.
• Make Dressing: You can make the Taco Salad Dressing and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours in advance.
• Make Beef: The beef mixture can be made 2-3 days ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container. I recommend reheating the beef slightly before tossing with the salad so its at room temperature.

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Can I Add A Dressing For Taco Salad

Yes! While you can skip the dressing, one of the most appealing parts of the homemade taco salad is the salad dressing. You can use something as basic as ranch or even a zesty Catalina or French dressing.

Ive included a super simple homemade taco salad dressing recipe you can try. Mix ranch dressing with a little taco sauce for a kicked up version of the popular salad topping.

Whatever dressing you choose, serve it on the side for make your own individual salads. If youre serving the salad family style, add the dressing to the salad right before serving, give it a good toss and your all set.

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Whats The Best Dressing For Taco Salad

You were going to put sour cream and salsa on your salad anyway, right? So heres the very best dressing you can make for taco salad: a mixture of sour cream, salsa, lime juice, and a dash of taco seasoning. It makes for a thick and creamy dressing thats best tossed with the salad just before serving.

• You can easily substitute chicken or turkey for ground beef.
• Substitute Cool Ranch Doritos for Nacho Cheese.
• If you do not have Catalina Dressing, you can use Ranch Dressing instead.
• This salad is so versatile, you can add in your favorite taco toppings and almost any variety of beans like pinto beans, garbanzo beans, red kidney beans, etc.

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Restaurant Vs Homemade Taco Salad

Despite their perception as being healthy options, restaurant taco salads are deceptively unhealthy. Most restaurant versions:

• Are doused in heavy, high-calorie dressings
• Contain a scant number of wholesome vegetables
• Overdo it on the high-fat toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese or nacho cheese
• Are often served in a deep-fried taco shell .

Making your own salad at home means that you can control the taco salad ingredients and portions to make it as wholesome as you choose.

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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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.

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.

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How To Make Taco Salad Ahead Of Time

Taco Salad can be assembled, refrigerated, then simply tossed with the chips and dressing right before serving. Taco Salad is an excellent make ahead meal because it can all be served at the same temperature, unlike Burrito Bowls, in which some of the components taste far superior warmed.

The secret to making taco salad ahead of time is to layer theingredients so they dont get soggy. This requires a specific order, with the most wet on the bottom. To prep Taco Salad ahead of time, layer theingredients in the following order:

You will want to store the salad dressing separately and add thechips and avocados just before serving.

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Why Youll Love This Easy Taco Salad Recipe:

• MAKE AHEAD: This is a great option for your weekly meal prep. Just store everything separately for a super quick and easy dinner or a lunch that takes minutes to build.
• EASY TO ADAPT: This is a great recipe that you can put your unique spin on! Make it spicier or healthier with simple substitutions, and add in all of your favorite taco toppings!
• KID FRIENDLY: This is a great meal that the whole family will enjoy, and youll love it because its ready to serve in just 15 minutes!

This easy taco salad recipe is a great way to mix up your Mexican feasts. Simple to make and full of goodness, this might just become your new favorite thing!

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How Do I Serve Easy Taco Salad Recipe

There are four ways to serve this easy Taco Salad recipe:

• If you dont expect or want leftovers: add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl except for tortilla chips and toss with desired amount of dressing. Add tortilla chips when ready to serve.
• If you expect leftovers: add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl except the avocados and tortilla strips. Let individuals dress their own salad plates with avocados, tortilla chips and dressing. If you prefer warm beef, then keep the beef separate as well.
• Create a taco salad bar: line up all of the ingredients in separate serving bowls and let guests assemble their own taco salad.
• Serve in tortilla bowls. Taco Salad is often served in tortilla bowls at restaurants. These make a fun presentation and are deceptively easy to make , but I dont suggest using them instead of chips but in addition to chips. You are going to want crunch in every bite and not have to tear your bowl apart as your eating your salad.

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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Customize Your Taco Salad

Toppings on this healthy taco salad can be customized to your taste buds.

• I used romaine lettuce, but you can use any leaves you love like baby spinach, kale, iceberg lettuce, or the same quantity of a salad mix.
• Replace the avocado with guacamole.
• You can omit ingredients that you dont like and replace them with other vegetables such as cucumber, red pepper, or olives.
• You can choose between various salsa types that come with different hotness levels. Use mild salsa if you want to balance the spicy flavor that comes from the meat.
• Make the taco salad healthy by adding some freshly chopped cilantro on top.

Homemade Baked Tortilla Bowls:

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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.

Best Taco Salad Recipe

Were all about taco Tuesday, or really any Mexican food any day of the week. Turn those beef tacos into something special with this family favorite Taco Salad!

Taco salad ingredients can really be anything that you love. We love fresh avocado, tomato, and green onions. I love that each person can customize their bowl-full and make something really delicious.

For a heartier version, add in some spanish rice or crock pot pinto beans. Feel free to pour on your favorite red or green salsa as well!

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