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May 4, 2021

Easy Taco Salad Recipe

Name: Easy Taco Salad Recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef; 4 Tbsp taco seasoning mix (or 1 packet); 1/2 cup water; 1 iceberg lettuce (medium head, chopped); 1 avocado (peeled, pitted and sliced); 1 cup pico de gallo (or to taste); 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend (or to taste); 1/2 cup tortilla strips or chips; 1/2 cup sour cream (or to taste); 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped); 1 lime (cut into wedges)

A healthy Taco Salad, loaded with juicy ground beef, served over a bed of crisp lettuce and all of the best taco salad toppings.

We love tacos, from our famous Fish Tacos to our Carne Asada Street Tacos and even Taco Soup – Tacos are a fun menu item to make and tastes just as good as going out for tacos (except fresher and healthier).

Taco salad served in a bowl with toppings

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Taco Salad Recipe

A taco salad is basically a deconstructed taco so it is a low-carb option compared to traditional tacos. They are so satisfying and super easy to make. Try this with our homemade Pico De Gallo and you will be known for your taco salad.

salad ingredients with lettuce, ground beef, taco seasoning, pico, cheese, avocado

How to Make Taco Salad

If you have made Ground Beef Tacos in the past, you already know how to make the salad. The process is very similar and even easier.

Cook Beef: In a large skillet over medium heat, brown your beef, breaking it up with a spatula until no pink remains. Drain off excess fat, add taco seasoning and water, and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Assemble: Chop lettuce and divide into serving bowls. Top with ground beef.
Serve: Add remaining desired toppings and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice over the top.

Step by step how to make taco salad recipe

More Taco Salad Toppings

We love the classic toppings of Mexican cheese, avocado, Pico, tortilla strips (or chips), sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges. You can change up Taco Tuesday’s with these fun taco bar options:

Black beans, rinsed and drained
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Black olives, drained
Red onion, diced
Chives or green onion, chopped
Guacamole
Grilled Corn on the Cob

Taco Salad toppings over a bed of iceberg lettuce

How to Serve Taco Salad

Taco Bar – you can arrange all of the ingredients in separate bowls and let your guests build their own custom taco salads. We love this option when there are gluten-free or keto dinner guests. P.S. You can get gluten-free taco seasoning.
Layered Salad – if you want to serve this as one large salad for a party, you can assemble it in a 9×13 glass casserole as a layered taco salad (similar to a 7-layer dip) starting with the lettuce then beef, and sprinkle remaining toppings evenly over the top.
Taco Salad Bowls – serve this as a side salad or as a main course. Divide lettuce between bowls, add ground beef, and desired toppings.

Tips for the Best Taco Salad

Use Lean Ground Beef (90/10) – Ground beef with a higher fat content will release more fat. Tilt the pan for the fat to pool at the corn of the pan then spoon off the excess fat. If you don’t skim it off, the fat will solidify on the meat when it cools and you don’t want that.

Assemble just before serving – Mixed taco salad does not keep well as the salt in the pico and taco seasoning will wilt the lettuce over time. If you want to make this in advance, see the meal prep option below.

Ground beef taco salad served in a bowl with lime wedges

Common Questions

Is this a low carb or keto taco salad?

This is naturally a low-carb meal option. To make it healthier and lower-calorie, select lean ground beef. To make this a keto taco salad, skip the tortilla strips.

Can I substitute the meat?

Yes, just about any ground meat will work. Try ground turkey for a turkey taco salad. Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken also works great.

Does this need Taco Salad Dressing?

You don’t need a dressing for taco salad because the sour cream and pico de gallo serve as a ‘dressing.’ If you prefer a dressing, try our Avocado Ranch or our Jalapeño Ranch with a little heat to it.

Meal Prep (Make-Ahead) Option

Meal planning with taco salad is genius – all of the ingredients keep well and taste just as good when made ahead in a meal prep container and you can combine all of the ingredients just before serving. Pack a lime wedge to squeeze over the top before serving.

Pack your lettuce into sandwich-sized plastic bags for max freshness and place it into a meal prep container.
Arrange toppings in strips: taco meat, cheese, and avocado (squeeze fresh lime juice over avocados to slow down the browning process).
Pico and sour cream keep best stored in small lidded containers or zip bags.
Pack tortilla strips separate since those will soften.

Meal prepped taco salad in to-go container

Taco Salad is a quick and easy meal. You can use this basic recipe over and over changing up the toppings to make dinner exciting.

Easy Taco Salad Recipe

5 from 19 votes

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A taco salad is basically a deconstructed taco. It's a low-carb option compared to traditional tacos and taco salads are perfect for make-ahead meal prep.

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $12-$16

Keyword: taco salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Course: Main Course

Calories: 264

Servings: 6 people as a side salad

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
4 Tbsp taco seasoning mix , or 1 packet
1/2 cup water
1 iceberg lettuce, medium head, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup pico de gallo, or to taste
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, or to taste
1/2 cup tortilla strips or chips
1/2 cup sour cream, or to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown your beef. When there is no pink left on the meat, spoon out all of the excess fat then add 4 Tbsp or 1 packet of taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until it’s lightly warm or room temperature.
Chop lettuce and place into serving bowls (serves 6 as a side salad or 4 as a main course). Divide ground beef between the bowls over the lettuce.
Add remaining toppings as desired: avocado, pico de gallo, cheese, tortilla strips, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over salad before serving. The sour cream and pico serve as the dressing for this salad.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Taco Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 264 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 62mg21%

Sodium 550mg24%

Potassium 614mg18%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 1009IU20%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 120mg12%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Disclosure

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.