Taco Salad

We were in the mood for Mexican food (what’s new), but I didn’t feel like making a huge dinner, so I grabbed some ground beef at the store and decided to make this big taco salad recipe. I used a bunch of different spices to flavor the beef and threw in whatever vegetables I had in the refrigerator, along with black beans and sweet yellow corn. Next, I chopped up some tortillas and baked them for a nice crunchy texture in the salad. This easy taco salad recipe was a quick weeknight dinner we all loved, and thought it tasted great with tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole.

Taco Salad

Taco Meat Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, diced finely
• 1½ lbs. of ground beef
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tsp onion powder
• 1½ tsp paprika
• 1½ tsp chili powder
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• 1½ tsp coriander
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Tortilla Strips:

• 6 corn tortillas, chopped into bite-size pieces
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cooking spray

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

• ½ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Salad Ingredients:

• Head of Romaine, cleaned and chopped
• 2 avocados, diced
• ½ cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup of frozen sweet corn, thawed
• ½ cup of grape tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup of black olives, sliced
• ½ cup of red, yellow, or orange baby bell peppers, sliced
• ½ cup of green onions, diced
• ½ cup of cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup of sharp cheddar cheese, diced finely (more if you desire)

For Serving:

• Salsa
• Hot sauce
• Sour cream

How to Make a Taco Salad

Cook the onions by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and stir frequently for 3-4 minutes.

Add the ground beef to the onion, and cook, breaking it up into crumbles, for 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Taste, re-season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Make the tortilla strips by slicing the corn tortillas into bite-sized pieces, then place them on the baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and add sea salt to taste.

Place in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes; remove from the oven, flip the chips over, return to the oven, and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Make the vinaigrette by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing until creamy and smooth. Taste and re-season if needed.

Make the salad by combining all salad ingredients, drizzling with some of the well-shaken vinaigrette to taste, and tossing to coat evenly.

Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Taco Salad

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Course: Main, Salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Baking Sheet
• Immersion Blender or Blender

Ingredients

Taco Meat Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ yellow onion diced finely
• 1½ lbs. of ground beef
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tsp onion powder
• 1½ tsp paprika
• 1½ tsp chili powder
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• 1½ tsp coriander
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Tortilla Strips:

• 6 corn tortillas chopped into bite-size pieces
• Sea salt to taste
• Olive oil cooking spray

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

• ½ cup of fresh cilantro chopped
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice to taste
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

• Head of Romaine cleaned and chopped
• 2 avocados diced
• ½ cup of black beans rinsed and drained
• ½ cup of frozen sweet corn thawed
• ½ cup of grape tomatoes diced
• ½ cup of black olives sliced
• ½ cup of red, yellow, or orange baby bell peppers, sliced
• ½ cup of green onions diced
• ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese diced finely (more if you desire)
• ½ cup of cilantro chopped

For Serving:

• Salsa
• Hot sauce
• Sour cream

Instructions

• Cook the onion by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and stir frequently for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the ground beef to the onion, and cook, breaking it up into crumbles, for 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Taste, re-season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
• Make the tortilla strips by slicing the corn tortillas into bite-sized pieces, then place them on the baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and add sea salt to taste.
• Place in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes; remove from the oven, flip the chips over, return to the oven, and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
• Make the vinaigrette by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing until creamy and smooth. Taste and re-season if needed.
• Make the salad by combining all salad ingredients, drizzling with some of the well-shaken vinaigrette to taste, and tossing to coat evenly.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy.

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