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This Classic Taco Salad recipe is a quick 30-minute dinner loaded with all of your favorite taco ingredients. It’s kind of like a Taco Bell Taco Salad but made at home in no time at all – we eat this at least once a week!
I love to make a big ground beef taco salad for dinner and this easy recipe is better than the Taco Bell salad or Wendy’s taco salad! My family is obsessed with this recipe because it’s so easy to make, easy to personalize, and easy to meal prep.
It’s a really easy taco salad recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes so it’s perfect for an easy meal during the week. For me, it’s faster than picking up a Taco Bell taco salad and it’s cheaper too.
Taco Salad Ingredients
- The Taco Meat is made with lean ground beef or lean ground turkey and taco seasoning – I love the grocery store kind that has chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and other spices in it, but we usually use low-sodium.
- Chopped romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce (or mix them up together!)
- Toppings: Tomatoes (I like diced Roma tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes), sliced black olives, pickled jalapenos, and shredded cheddar cheese are our go-to add-ins.
- Guacamole and Salsa act as the dressings for this salad.
- The one thing you MUST add – Tortilla Strips or crushed chips – for crunch and to give it that true taco taste.
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How to make Taco Bell Salad Tips
- Be sure to brown the meat and then drain the fat before adding the taco seasoning.
- Let the taco meat cool a bit before making the salad.
- Serve all the ingredients in small bowls for everyone to make themselves, like a salad charcuterie board.
- Top the salad with guacamole and salsa, and then toss the salad to combine. Garnish with the tortilla strips and cilantro for serving.
- See below the recipe for more variations!
Simple Taco Salad
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 roma tomato diced
- ½ cup sliced olives
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup guacamole see note
- ¼ cup salsa
- Tortilla strips for garnish
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Place ground turkey in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat to small pieces, until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
- Add taco seasoning and water called for on pouch (usually ¾ cup). Stir to combine and cook as directed on package. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Add romaine to a large salad bowl. Add cooked meat, tomato, jalapenos, olives, and cheese.
- Top with guacamole and salsa then toss to combine. Garnish with tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Recipe Nutrition
What goes well with taco salad?
Want to add some side dishes? Here are some good options we always like:
- We always love it with some chips and salsa.
- Make some cheese quesadillas.
- Black Bean Soup or Salsa Soup
- Pair it with Mexican rice and refried beans.
- For BBQs it goes great with grilled corn on the cob or other grilled veggies.
We loved it. I do use my own dressing, equal parts thousand island and smooth taco sauce, but the guacamole and sour cream sound delicious too. Thanks for a delicious recipe.