Fresh and flavorful this easy taco salad is made with seasoned ground beef, rice and beans then loaded with toppings and served over chopped greens for a quick meal!

Taco salad recipe in a bowl.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Why You’ll Love This Taco Salad Recipe

When the days are long, I’m sometimes tempted to pick up fast food instead I make this easy taco salad recipe for a quick and simple meal. It has all the ingredients from my ground beef tacos but is served in a bowl.

My kids help place all the salad toppings like rice, beans and cheese in bowls then layer their salad greens with all their taco favorites. We do similar quick and healthy meals with BBQ chicken salad and this Mexican salad, too!

Ingredient Notes

Taco salad ingredients on counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Lean ground beef: I like to use 80-90% lean beef to make the taco meat.
  • Onion: Adds savory taste to the ground beef.
  • Homemade taco seasoning: To season your meat, you can use store bought or homemade.
  • Salsa: Adds plenty of moisture and flavor to the browned taco meat.
  • Lettuce: I love romaine lettuce as it adds both a crisp, crunchy texture but green leaf, iceberg lettuce or spinach all work.
  • Rice: You will need cooked rice. For extra taste, use cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice.
  • Corn: Fresh grilled corn, canned or frozen thawed. Leftover Mexican street corn salad is delicious, too!
  • Black beans: I cup of canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained.
  • Cherry tomatoes: Adds color and juicy, sweet taste.
  • Salad dressing: I love using homemade salsa or a cilantro lime dressing to add additional flavor.

How to Make Taco Salad

You will love how quickly this taco salad recipe can be on the table! Meal prep your rice ahead and then the only cooking you will have to do is to make your ground beef.

Showing how to make a taco salad.
  • Make taco meat. Cook and crumble your ground beef with onion in a large skillet, drain grease and then stir in taco seasoning, salsa and water. Simmer and cook for a few minutes to allow for flavor development.
  • Prepare remaining salad ingredients. To a large bowl, individual salad bowls or plates, layer the lettuce, beef mixture, rice, corn, beans and tomatoes.
  • Drizzle with dressing. Drizzle the bowl with your preferred salad dressing or serve it on the side with all your favorite toppings.

Favorite Salad Toppings

One of the best parts about making taco salad is that you can customize it how you like it!

Taco salad in a white bowl.

Recipe Tips

  • Protein. Feel free to make a healthy taco salad recipe by swapping your meat to a leaner protein, like ground turkey. Or make a shredded chicken taco salad or use grilled flank steak.
  • Baked taco salad shell. Spray a homemade flour tortilla with cooking spray, then place the tortilla in an oven safe bowl. Bake the tortilla until crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Layer the salad ingredients into the crunchy tortilla.
  • Vegetarian. Double up on black beans and rice or add extra toppings like avocado and vegetables.
  • Skip the dressing. Instead of piling on sour cream or a creamy dressing, use only salsa instead!
  • More veggies. Add raw bell peppers, fajita veggies and pickled onions, too.
  • Lime juice. Fresh lime juice over top of your salad adds extra fresh taste.
  • Walking tacos. Instead of serving over lettuce, add your ingredients inside a mini bag of Doritos or Fritos. My kids love those!

Make Ahead and Storage

  • Make ahead. For convenience, make the ground beef and rice ahead of time for easy meal prep. I like to make it the day before so that I can assemble it in 5 minutes!
  • Store: Store leftover ground beef taco meat separately from the other salad ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat the meat and rice in the microwave until warmed through.
Taco salad in a bowl on counter.

Need more healthy Mexican recipes for taco Tuesday? Try these chicken stuffed peppers, chicken fajita bowls or this taco casserole!

More Delicious Mexican Recipes

See all
See all
Taco salad recipe in a bowl.

Taco Salad Recipe

5 from 16 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Fresh and flavorful this easy taco salad is made with seasoned ground beef, rice and beans then loaded with toppings and served over chopped greens for a quick meal!
Print Pin This! Rate

Video

Ingredients 

Taco Meat

  • 1 pound 80-90% lean ground beef
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning , plus more to taste
  • ½ cup salsa
  • ¼ cup water

Salad

  • 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes , halved

Optional toppings: Avocado, Tortilla strips, Shredded cheese, Lime

Dressing: Cilantro lime dressing, Salsa, or Ranch

Instructions

Taco Meat

  • In a large skillet, sauté one pound ground beef and 1/2 cup onion over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally to break up any large pieces. Drain excess grease. Stir in 1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, 1/2 cup salsa, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a light simmer. Add more water if the mixture gets too dry.

Salad

  • In a large bowl or 4 individual bowls, layer the lettuce, meat mixture, rice, corn, beans, and tomatoes. 
  • Top with desired toppings. Squeeze fresh lime juice, if desired, and drizzle your choice of dressing over the top. 

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Variations:
  • Healthy swaps. Feel free to make healthier swaps, like using ground turkey instead of beef, loading on extra veggies and using salsa as your dressing.
  • Taco salad shell. You can serve your salad in a crispy taco shell like they do at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Simply spray a flour tortilla with cooking spray, then place the tortilla in an oven safe bowl. Bake the tortilla until crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then layer the salad ingredients into the crispy tortilla.
  • Doritos. Instead of serving over lettuce, add your taco salad ingredients inside a mini bag of Doritos or Fritos to make walking tacos. My kids love those too and they are just as easy! You can also crush up some Doritos and mix them in with your salad.
  • Vegetarian. Omit the meat to make this a vegetarian dish. Double up on rice and beans or add extra toppings like avocado and more chopped veggies.
Cooking tips:
  • Make the meat ahead. For convenience, make the taco meat ahead of time. I like to make it the day before so that I can assemble my salad in just 5 minutes! If I don’t have time to cook taco meat, sometimes I’ll use rotisserie chicken instead.
  • Grilled corn. Adding grilled corn instead of microwave corn on the cob makes a big difference in flavor. If you have the time, I highly recommend it
  • Lime juice. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice over top of your taco salad for an extra fresh taste.
  • Taco seasoning. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own homemade taco seasoning with just a few simple spices (that I bet you already have in your pantry).
  • Taco salad dressing: I love using homemade salsa or a cilantro lime dressing to add additional flavor.
  • Meal prep. This salad also makes a great meal prep lunch or dinner. Layer the ingredients into meal prep containers (keep the dressing separate) and then drizzle on top right before serving.
  • Leftover meat. Sometimes I’ll double the taco meat recipe so that I have leftovers the next day. Use the extra meat to make a totally new lunch or dinner the next day, like stuffed bell peppers or these easy taco pockets.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 353mg, Potassium: 1041mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 8688IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.