Easy Taco Salad Recipe

This easy taco salad is ready in 20 minutes and hits every note. Seasoned ground beef, rice, and black beans over crisp romaine, loaded with toppings and full of flavor for a quick dinner everyone will love.

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Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Lean ground beef: I like to use 80-90% lean beef.
• 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 a crisp, crunchy texture. Green leaf, iceberg lettuce or spinach all work, too, though.
• 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: One 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. Both are light enough to let the toppings shine

How to Make a Taco Salad

Meal prep the rice ahead of time and this comes together in one pan with almost no effort. The only thing that hits the stove is the beef.

1. 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.
2. Prepare remaining salad ingredients. To a large bowl, individual salad bowls or plates, layer the lettuce, beef mixture, rice, corn, beans and tomatoes.
3. Drizzle with dressing. Drizzle the bowl with your preferred salad dressing or serve it on the side with all your favorite toppings.

Recipe Tips

• Protein. Ground turkey, shredded chicken, or grilled flank steak all work great here. You can also make a full shredded chicken taco salad if that’s more your style.
• Baked taco salad shell. Spray a homemade flour tortilla with cooking spray, place it in an oven safe bowl, and bake until crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then layer everything right inside.
• Vegetarian. Skip the meat and double up on black beans and rice, or pile on extra avocado and veggies.
• Lighter dressing. Use salsa on its own instead of a creamy dressing to keep things fresh and lower in calories.
• More veggies. Raw bell peppers, fajita veggies, and pickled onions are all great additions.
• Lime juice. A squeeze of fresh lime right before serving makes everything pop.
• Walking tacos. Skip the bowl and serve everything inside a mini bag of Doritos or Fritos instead. My kids absolutely love these!