Easy Taco Salad

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.

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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 . 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 , 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: , red onion, or hot sauce.
• Fresh: , a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Taco Salad Dressing

• Classic – Sour cream and salsa or are our go-to dressing for this salad. Easy peasy.
• Creamy – Try , or .
• Zesty –  or Catalina dressing.

How to Make Taco Salad

1. Brown and season the ground beef (recipe below). Stir in beans if using.
2. Wash lettuce and spin dry. Top with beef mixture and your favorite toppings.
3. 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!

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. 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).
3. Place the tortilla in an ovenproof bowl or a  and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.

Did you make this easy Taco Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

4.98 from 114 votes Author

Easy Taco Salad

Author Servings 8 servings This easy taco salad is crispy, crunchy, and colorful. Make a DIY taco bar by putting out all the toppings and let everyone make their own! Servings 8 servings Prep Time 15 minutes minutesCook Time 15 minutes minutesTotal Time 30 minutes minutes Email this recipe!Enter your email and we’ll send it directly to you, plus get even more tips & recipes! Email Post Title Email *Save

Equipment

Ingredients  1x2x3x

Beef

• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 ounce 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

While we use sour cream and salsa as dressing, Catalina or are also great with this salad. To make this meal fast, use pre-washed lettuce. Prepare topping ingredients while the beef is browning. Leftover taco meat can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container and reheated in the microwave.  4.98 from 114 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 360 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 608mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3585IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 2.7mg

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

© [SITEURL]. 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. .

• – 30 minute meal
• – Quick family favorite.
• – Great for weeknights!
• – Perfect grilled or fried.
• – Kids love this easy meal.
• – Perfect for Tacos or Enchiladas!

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.

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Comments

1. Mark says:

   Delicious!

2. Pam says:

   I love taco salad, this is great! I use a mix of Italian dressing and salsa, that way I can control heat. Also if you use low calorie dressing helps with calories

3. Danielle B. says:

   Excellent recipe….thank you for sharing with us.

4. C Harris says:

   You are my go-to for easy and delicious recipes. Actually you are the first and only place I go anymore! I have never had a “bad” outcome from any of your dishes and this one was no exception. Delicious.

5. DianneC says:

   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.

6. Ron Hamstad says:

   Thanks, Holly! I can’t count the number of recipes of yours that I have made!

7. mary melendez says:

   Really good thank you

8. [email protected] says:

   I love taco salad.The recipe looks so good I can’t wait to make this recipe for my family .

9. Liz says:

   This recipe is outstanding, as is every single recipe you share with us! Genuinely, thank you so very much for all your recipes.

10. Ruth Trejans says:

    Great salad

    1. Spend With Pennies SN says:

       Thanks Ruth, I am glad you enjoyed it!

11. Connie HART says:

    all salads look good going to try all special the taco salad

12. Laura Ashley says:

    Made this tonight. We loved it. Followed everything, only added avocado to mine, not his. Will definitely. E making again! Thank you!

13. Uio says:

    N

14. Lija Day says:

    superfantastic, my husband lives Taco salad and this was perfect with a couple changes, but the overall salad was perfect. TY

15. Benzle Volz says:

    excellent recipes I enjoy them. thank you!

16. Nancy S. Gray says:

    Made it for dinner and I’m having this for Friday night dinner.

17. Jerseypaul318 says:

    Are you kidding me, awesome!

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