How to make a delicious and easy taco salad recipe that is ready in just 20 minutes! Filled with chopped greens, seasoned ground beef, rice, corn, beans, tomatoes and your favorite salad dressing, it’s a flavorful dinner that whole family will love.
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The Best Taco Salad Recipe
Weeknights can be crazy with after school activities and homework to finish. When the days are long, I’m sometimes tempted to pick up fast food. Let’s be honest, occasionally I just give in…but I often make this easy taco salad recipe when looking for a quick and simple meal. We’re talking done in 20 minutes!
My kids love being in the kitchen with me and this recipe is the perfect meal for them to help put together. It’s protein-packed, veggie-filled and an easy, customizable well-rounded dinner. They place all the salad toppings in separate bowls and layer their portion with all their taco favorites. They gobble them right up, too!
Surprisingly my kids love this salad and other variations of it like like our favorite BBQ chicken salad or shredded chicken taco salad. It’s a great way for kids to eat their greens!
What is Taco Salad?
Taco salad is a type of salad that typically includes seasoned ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and other ingredients commonly found in classic ground beef tacos.
The base of the salad is typically lettuce, followed by the seasoned beef, cheese, tomatoes, and other toppings. It is often served with tortilla chips or a taco shell on the side.
Taco salad can easily be customized depending on your preference you can use shredded chicken, grilled flank steak, or black beans and rice for a vegetarian option. So many delicious options!
Recipe Ingredients
Simple ingredients go into this salad making it one of the best recipes that anyone can nail for an easy dinner.
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.
- 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 corn, canned or frozen thawed.
- 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, avocado lime dressing or a cilantro lime dressing to add additional flavor.
Healthy Variations
- Protein. Feel free to make a healthy taco salad recipe by swapping your meat to a leaner protein, like ground turkey. Or try replacing 1/2 the ground beef with a can of black beans.
- Baked 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.
- 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.
- Skip the dressing. Instead of piling on sour cream or a creamy dressing, use only salsa instead!
- More veggies. Why stop at just the veggies listed? Add raw bell peppers or fajita veggies and pickled onions, too.
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.
- 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 a taco salad is that you can layer on as many toppings as you’d like, the more the merrier, in my opinion. :) Below are some topping ideas to add to your salad:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Tortilla strips
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- Chopped onion
- Mango salsa
- Sliced black olives
- Cilantro lime crema
- Salsa verde
- Chopped jalapenos
Expert Tips
- 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 salad for an extra fresh taste.
- Doritos. Instead of serving over lettuce, add your 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.
- Double the recipe. 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.
FAQs
While this is a great one bowl dinner, no one ever turns down homemade baked tortilla chips and fresh salsa with queso blanco. If I am serving a crowd I often make this 7 layer dip, too.
While the term health means something different to everyone, it really depends on how you top it. If you are eating it plain with just salsa and veggies, it will most likely be healthier than a taco loaded with toppings. Regardless how many toppings you decide to add to your salad, you are still eating an extra serving of greens which is always nutritious.
Yes! 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.
You can use either a store bought packet of taco seasoning or make your own taco seasoning! I love to make my own homemade taco seasoning with just a few simple spices like garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder and a few other common spices as it doesn’t contain any extra fillers like cornstarch.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make 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!
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 in a skillet on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
Need more healthy Mexican recipes for taco Tuesday? Try these chicken stuffed peppers, chicken fajitas or this taco casserole!
More Delicious Mexican Dinners
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Taco Salad Recipe
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 the ground beef and onion over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally to break up any large pieces. Drain excess grease. Stir in the taco seasoning, salsa, and 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.
Video
Notes
- 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.
- 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, avocado lime dressing 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
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Love this ! I used to get the taco salad mix from Costco but I haven’t seen it since the pandemic and honestly home made is much better !
So glad you enjoyed the taco salad recipe :D
Jamelyn, thank you for everything you share. I hit the jackpot with today’s email. I have recently gone back to Weight Watchers to lose a few pounds and support my daughter who needs to lose more then I do. These salad recipes look great. I printed several and will share them with my daughter, Katie. Yes, I’m old school and still prin everything instead of using my tablet. :)
I can’t even tell you how many times I have made this salad. It’s my go-to on Taco Tuesdays!
I’m so happy to hear that, Shelby!
I love love love this recipe. I jumped on it last night and it was so easy and flavorful. That’s my kind of salad!
We love this salad! It’s so yummy and so delicious! Definitely my daughter’s favorite salad! I will be making this again soon!
This salad looks delicious, just like your other recipes. Can’t wait to try.
This Salad looks delicious, it’s hard to find a Salad recipe the whole family will enjoy, but this is a winner!
This looks so good, love taco salad. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.