• About
  • Browse Recipes
  • FAQs
  • Recipe Index

Main Navigation

  • Recipe Index
  • About

The Forked Spoon

Eat Healthy • Adventure Often

  • Browse Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Sides
  • Dinners
  • Desserts
  • By Diet

Home » Salads » Taco Salad Recipe

Taco Salad Recipe

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon Jessica Randhawa
April 24, 2022
4.82 from 11 votes


Last Updated April 24, 2022 | 0 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

365 shares
jump to recipe
Taco Salad Recipe Pinterest Pin Image

The best Taco Salad is filled with perfectly seasoned ground beef, fresh salad greens, shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and drizzled with a light lime vinaigrette. Versatile, delicious, and ready in just 30 minutes, the whole family will love this fresh take on the classic all-American Taco Salad!

The ultimate taco salad in a large white bowl.

The Best Taco Salad Recipe

My first memories of taco salads reach far back into my childhood. My mom loved to make the Doritos version with homemade Italian dressing, or, on busier nights, order taco salads from El Pollo Loco where they would come served in a taco bowl topped with sour cream, guacamole, and drowning in ranch dressing. As a kid, they were the best. But now, as an adult, I like my taco salads less…smothered.

Less cheesy chips, more greens, lighter vinaigrette, but the same amazing Tex-Mex flavor! 

Ready in just 30 minutes, this taco salad recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, hot summer evenings, or anytime you’re looking to clean out the fridge. Gather everything into one giant bowl or set up a taco salad bar station and let everyone assemble their very own version of the perfect taco salad!

White plate filled with eleven difference spices and seasonings.

What Goes in a Taco Salad

This taco salad recipe can be easily customized to be vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.

  1. Meat – Lean ground beef is the most common meat (or protein) used to make taco salads. Other options include,
    • Ground turkey or chicken – leaner alternative to ground beef.
    • Ground pork, lamb, bison, etc.
    • Tempeh – made from fermented soybeans, tempeh is surprisingly delicious and a fantastic high-protein plant-based meat alternative.
    • Black Beans – the consistency will be a bit different compared to ground beef, but fry some beans with taco seasoning, onions, and tomato sauce (and perhaps some crushed cashews) and you’ve got yourself a delicious high-protein vegan alternative to ground beef.
  2. Taco Seasoning – Taco seasoning is pretty important for taco meat. I always like to make my own homemade taco seasoning that way I know it’s free from MSG and yeast extract, but feel free to use whatever you love.
  3. Greens – Traditional taco salad recipes came served with iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is just fine but lacks the vitamins and nutrients that are found in other greens. I often mix a combination of 2 or 3 different greens such as,
    • Romaine – my go-to when making taco salad.
    • Kale – I will usually mix this with Romaine.
    • Cabbage – I love the crunch!
    • Cilantro – If you’re a cilantro lover like me, chop a bunch and dump it in there!
  4. Vegetables – This list, as you may imagine, gets fairly long. As such, I’m going to break it down into the more common versus less common (and yes, I know that some of these are not exactly a vegetable).
    • More common – tomatoes, red onion, green onions, bell pepper, black olives, etc.
    • Less common – jicama (just trust me on this one, so good), sliced jalapeño or green chiles, cucumber, shredded carrots, corn, etc.
  5. Cheese – Must have cheese (unless you’re vegan or dairy-free, of course). The most common is shredded cheddar, but Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Jalapeño Jack are also delicious.
  6. Toppings –
    • Sour Cream – sour cream is to Tex-Mex what Ketchup is to French Fries.
    • Guacamole – or simply avocado.
    • Salsa or Pico de Gallo – a healthy alternative to salad dressing.
    • Tortilla Strips
Cast iron skillet filled with cooked ground beef taco meat.

Taco Salad Dressing

For this particular salad, I made a light, refreshing, zesty lime vinaigrette. The ingredients are simple,

  • Olive oil
  • Fresh lime juice and zest
  • Honey
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Garlic
  • Dijon mustard
  • Cilantro
  • Salt and Pepper

Often, however, I don’t add any dressing at all. Instead, I add a little extra salsa, avocado, and sour cream with a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a perfect balance of creamy and tangy.

Large white bowl filled with beef taco salad topped with shredded cheese, avocado, olives, tomatoes, and sour cream.

How to Make Taco Salad

  1. Cook the ground meat: Soften the onion in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the ground beef and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into smaller pieces. Fully cook the ground beef then drain 3/4 of the liquid and fat from the skillet. Add the taco seasoning and tomato sauce to the ground beef and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often.
  2. Prepare the vinaigrette
  3. Assemble: Transfer all greens to a large salad bowl. Top with the ground beef, veggies, tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and any other additional toppings you wish.
  4. Serve: Divide the salad into individual salad bowls and drizzle with the lime vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

How to Make a Healthier Taco Salad

  • Trade the ground beef for lean ground chicken or turkey.
  • Skip the ground meat altogether and add baked chicken breasts instead.
  • Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt.
  • Hold off on the dressing and add salsa instead.
  • Make your own baked tortilla chips! Simply brush several corn tortillas with olive oil and season with salt. Slice into wedges (or strips) and transfer to a greased baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F turning once halfway through.
  • Less cheese, more veggies.
Close up image of taco salad made with ground beef, avocado, cheese, tortilla strips, tomatoes, sour cream, avocado.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few simple tips and tricks to make the best taco salad recipe ever!

  • Prepare the ground beef ahead of time – Ground beef loves to be prepared ahead of time and reheats perfectly. If I know I’m going to have an especially busy week, I’ll make a big batch of ground beef taco meat (or ground turkey taco meat) and have it ready for tacos, pasta, or stuffed bell peppers.
  • Prepare the vinaigrette ahead of time – Make it the night before and let it hang out in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it.
  • Save even more time and buy pre-made dressing, vinaigrette, salsa, and guacamole. Homemade is great, but sometimes convenience is better.
  • Unless you have your own garden, purchase pre-cut and pre-washed lettuce for super-fast prep time.
  • Freshly grated cheddar cheese is better than pre-shredded. I know, I’m all about saving time, too, but the anti-caking stuff all over the cheese? No thanks.
  • If you suspect that you’ll have leftovers, only add the ground beef, dressing, sour cream, salsa, or guacamole once the salads have been individually plated. This way you can save the leftovers.

More Delicious Tex-Mex Recipes to Try Next,

  • 20-Minute Ground Beef Tacos Recipe
  • Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
  • Paloma Recipe (How to Make a Paloma Cocktail)
  • Classic Margarita Recipe (How to Make a Margarita)
  • Taco Soup Recipe
Large white bowl filled with taco salad.

Have you tried making this taco salad recipe?

Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.

The ultimate taco salad in a large white bowl.

Taco Salad Recipe

4.82 from 11 votes
Chef: Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked SpoonJessica Randhawa
Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy Taco Salad Recipe is filled with perfectly seasoned ground beef, fresh greens, shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and drizzled with a light lime vinaigrette.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 538 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the Ground Beef Taco Meat

  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion - diced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1.5 tablespoon taco seasoning - or homemade taco seasoning
  • 1 cup tomato sauce

For the Taco Salad

  • 8 cups Romaine lettuce - (or iceberg) chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes - cored, seeded, diced
  • ½ cup green onion - chopped
  • ½ cup black olives - halved
  • 1 medium jicama - peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 1 cup tortilla strips
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese - shredded
  • 1 large avocado - peeled, pitted, and sliced or (homemade guacamole)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Salsa, black beans, diced bell pepper, jalapeño, Spanish rice, etc. - optional toppings

For the Lime vinaigrette (optional)

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice - plus the zest of one lime
  • 3 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro - minced
  • salt and pepper - to taste
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

For the Ground Beef Taco Meat

  • Sauté the onions – Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Stir often to prevent burning and reduce heat to medium if needed.
  • Cook the ground beef – Add the ground beef to the skillet. Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into smaller and smaller bits and pieces. Fully cook your ground beef before draining approximately 3/4 of the liquid and fat from the skillet.
  • Add the seasoning and tomato sauce – Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the taco seasoning and tomato sauce to the beef and mix well to combine. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or so, stirring often.

For the VInaigrette

  • Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette to a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Taco Salad

  • Assemble – Transfer lettuce to a large salad bowl. Top with the cooked ground beef, tomatoes, green onions, black olives, jicama, corn kernels, tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and any other additional toppings you wish.
  • Serve – Divide salad to individual serving bowls and drizzle with the fresh lime vinaigrette or a desired salad dressing of choice.

Jessica’s Notes

  • The vinaigrette is optional, however, it is a delicious, tangy, fresh addition that goes really well with this salad. I grew up eating taco salad with sour cream, guacamole, and homemade Italian dressing, but also enjoy it with Homemade Ranch dressing or creamy Catalina dressing.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 1154mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 6669IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 229mg | Iron: 4mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)

Keyword Taco Salad, Taco Salad Recipe
Did You Make This Recipe? Tag it Today!Mention @theforkedspoon or tag #theforkedspoon and please leave your star rating in the comment section below.

About Jessica

Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

Chef Jessica Randhawa leads The Forked Spoon. A world traveler, Jessica developed her passion for culinary arts while adventuring. With her recipes making their way onto renowned platforms such as Women's Health, Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, and Fox News, she's marked her presence in the culinary world. Jessica's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from the University of California.

365 shares
Profile photo of chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

About Jessica Randhawa

Chef Jessica Randhawa leads The Forked Spoon. A world traveler, Jessica developed her passion for culinary arts while adventuring. With her recipes making their way onto renowned platforms such as Women's Health, Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, and Fox News, she's marked her presence in the culinary world. Jessica's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from the University of California.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon

I’m Jessica, the chef behind The Forked Spoon, where I share my delicious recipes along with my kitchen tips and expert advice to transform your everyday cooking into a gratifying culinary experience. Learn more about me→

Reader Favorites

  • Acai bowl topped with fresh fruit and granola. Acai Bowl Recipe – How to Make Your Own Acai Bowl
  • A close up of a bowl Chimichurri Chimichurri Recipe (How to Make Chimichurri Sauce)
  • Bok Choy being cooked in a wok with a spoonful of garlic sauce 10 Minute Garlic Bok Choy Recipe
  • grilled veggie skewers up close Easy Grilled Veggie Skewers
  • Perfect, clear, beef bone broth in a large stockpot. Bone Broth Recipe (How to Make Bone Broth)
  • White bowl filled with homemade chicken soup. The Best Chicken Soup Recipe
Logo of The Forked Spoon by Jessica Randhawa
The Forked Spoon has been featured on Yahoo, CountryLiving, MSN, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, and Parade with logos shown of News Media Companies
  • About
  • Browse Recipes
  • Contact
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2023 · The Forked Spoon LLC • Disclosure