I can’t even count how many times I’ve made this taco salad recipe. It’s a go-to anytime I need a quick meal.
Quick and easy, this taco salad has seasoned ground beef and cheese atop crisp lettuce and our favorite taco toppings.
Taco Salad Ingredients
The beauty of this Tex-Mex-inspired salad is that you can add what you love or use what you have on hand.
Meat: I use lean ground beef (80/20), ground turkey, or ground chicken depending on what I’ve got on hand.
Seasoning: Season the meat with either a packet or homemade taco seasoning. Making your own seasoning with spices like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano is easy.
Lettuce: Romaine or iceberg lettuce are crunchy and sturdy, so they hold up well to lots of toppings. A mix of greens, like mesclun, is a bit too tender.
Toppings: Whatever you put on a taco (and more) is great on a taco salad! Our family favorites include shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, and a variety of veggies like leftover grilled corn, green onions, or cherry or Roma tomatoes.
Extra Toppings
Try any of the following to add flavor, crunch, and color.
- Crunchy: Tortilla chips, Doritos, tortilla strips, or corn chips.
- Spicy/Zesty: Jalapenos, red onion, or hot sauce.
- Fresh: Guacamole, a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Taco Salad Dressing
- Classic – Sour cream and salsa or Pico de Gallo are our go-to dressing for this salad. Easy peasy.
- Creamy – Try avocado dressing, chipotle ranch dressing or creamy garlic dressing.
- Zesty – Cilantro lime dressing or Catalina dressing.
How to Make Taco Salad
- Brown and season the ground beef (recipe below). Stir in beans if using.
- Wash lettuce and spin dry. Top with beef mixture and your favorite toppings.
- Scoop into a large serving bowl or plates and top with tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa.
Bake a Tortilla Bowl!
Serve this taco salad in a tortilla bowl to make it just like your favorite restaurant!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a flour tortilla with cooking spray (or brush it with butter or olive oil) and season with salt & your fave seasonings (cumin or a bit of chili powder are good).
- Place the tortilla in an ovenproof bowl or a taco bowl maker and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.
More Main Dish Salad Recipes
Did you make this easy Taco Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Taco Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning 1 packet, or 2 tablespoons homemade
- 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed, optional
Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ cup sour cream
- toppings as desired olives, bell peppers, jalapenos, red or green onion
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add the taco seasoning and ½ cup water. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in beans.
- Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl or divide over individual serving bowls. Top with the seasoned meat mixture, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, and desired toppings.
- Top with tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American, Mexican© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I had to downsize it since I only cook for myself, but I save all your recipes because they’re easy to downsize & still taste fantastic! I had all the ingredients & it was easy to fix. Chopping vegetables for 1 isn’t time consuming. I used French dressing since I didn’t have Catalina or Thousand Island & it was still good. I have tortilla chips, salsa & guacamole on the side. Thanks for your quick & easy, delicious meal.
Thanks, Holly! I can’t count the number of recipes of yours that I have made!
Really good thank you
I love taco salad.The recipe looks so good I can’t wait to make this recipe for my family .
This recipe is outstanding, as is every single recipe you share with us! Genuinely, thank you so very much for all your recipes.
Great salad
Thanks Ruth, I am glad you enjoyed it!
all salads look good going to try all special the taco salad
Made this tonight. We loved it. Followed everything, only added avocado to mine, not his. Will definitely. E making again! Thank you!
N
superfantastic, my husband lives Taco salad and this was perfect with a couple changes, but the overall salad was perfect. TY
excellent recipes I enjoy them. thank you!
Made it for dinner and I’m having this for Friday night dinner.
Are you kidding me, awesome!