If you’re looking for an easy and refreshing meal that the whole family will love, you need to make this taco salad! It’s perfect for nights when you don’t want to spend a ton of time cooking, as all you need is one pan and around 10 minutes to cook the beef. Everything else just requires some chopping, then you toss it all in a bowl, and you’ve got dinner ready to go.
This taco salad is essentially a deconstructed taco in a bowl. It’s just as comforting, filling, and fresh as a taco but in a salad form. It’s always a crowd-pleaser and is definitely one of my favorite ways to enjoy a salad. Don’t forget to try my easy taco soup recipe, nachos recipe, or my shrimp taco recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Beef — if you want to save yourself the effort of draining the fat from cooked beef, get lean ground beef.
Taco seasoning — you can make your own taco seasoning mix or use a packet from the store!
Lettuce — I love using romaine lettuce as it has a nice crunch to it. You can chop your own or buy the lettuce pre-cut to save time.
Shredded cheese — use your favorite cheese for this taco salad recipe: mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mexican cheese blend, or a combination of a few kinds of cheese.
Avocado — I love how avocado adds a creamy component to the salad. You can use guacamole if you prefer.
How to Make Taco Salad
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the ground beef. Cook, breaking up the meat while stirring frequently until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning
2. Add the water to the skillet of beef, and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens slightly but is still saucy and the meat is cooked through. Remove from the heat.
3. Chop and divide the lettuce among 4 bowls.
4. Top each bowl with seasoned beef, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, and lime.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Some more toppings you can add to the taco salad are sliced radishes, corn, red onions, jalapenos, and beans.
- If you want to add some heat to the taco beef, add a few pinches of cayenne pepper alongside the taco seasoning.
- Assemble the salad bowl just before serving. You don’t want the diced avocado to oxidize, nor do you want the salad to get soggy from the tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Use parsley or chives instead.
- When chopping the romaine lettuce, make sure they’re bite-sized to make eating it easier. Also, pat them dry or run them through a salad spinner to keep the salad from becoming soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use beef?
If you want to change things up, you can swap the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken.
Can I make this ahead of time?
If you want to make this taco salad ahead of time, you can cook the beef a few days beforehand and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat it when ready to assemble the salad. You can water and chop the romaine lettuce ahead of time as well. I don’t recommend preparing any other topping ahead of time.
What dressing can I serve this salad with?
This taco salad is tasty on its own, but you can make a dressing if you’d like. If you want a creamy dressing for your salad, try one of these:
- Creamy Salsa Verde Dressing: Stir together ½ cup each sour cream and salsa verde, zest and juice of 1 lime, and salt to taste.
- Spicy Ranch Dressing: Whisk together ¾ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons mayo, 1 packet ranch dressing mix, zest and juice of 1 lime, cayenne pepper to taste, and milk or water to thin.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Taco Salad recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Taco Salad
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1-ounce packet taco seasoning (29g/3 tablespoons)
- ½ cup water
For the Salad:
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
To Serve:
- tortilla chips or strips
- sour cream
- salsa
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the ground beef. Cook, breaking up the meat while stirring frequently until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off any fat if your beef isn’t very lean.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and water, and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens slightly but is still saucy and the meat is cooked through. Remove from the heat. (Depending on the taco seasoning you use, you may need to add additional water to keep the meat saucy.)
- Divide the lettuce among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with seasoned beef, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, and lime.
Notes
- Some more toppings you can add to the taco salad are sliced radishes, corn, red onions, jalapenos, and beans.
- If you want to add some heat to the taco beef, add a few pinches of cayenne pepper alongside the taco seasoning.
- Assemble the salad bowl just before serving. You don’t want the diced avocado to oxidize, nor do you want the salad to get soggy from the tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Use parsley or chives instead.
- When chopping the romaine lettuce, make sure they're bite-sized to make eating it easier. Also, pat them dry or run them through a salad spinner to keep the salad from becoming soggy.
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