Taco Salad Recipe (Quick and Easy!) - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published February 14, 2019. Updated July 31, 2019

Taco Salad is a classic recipe everyone should know how to make. This version is quick, flavorful, hearty, a total breeze to make and it’s a dinner everyone can agree on both young and old alike!

It doesn’t take much to make a satisfying meal and this simple salad is proof of that. This is a back pocket recipe you’ll want to make on repeat!

Easy Homemade Taco Salad Recipe

I’ve been eating taco salad as long as I can remember. Of course as a kid, in the 90’s, my mom made the Dorito version and of course we loved that but now I prefer to make it with more natural chips.

Taco salad is one of the ultimate weeknight recipes. When there’s not much time to make something taco salad is a great option, especially this version which uses ground beef (no dicing up chicken or beef), bottled salsa to add lots of flavor without the prep, and pre-shredded cheese.

Taco Salad Video

Everyone in my family loves this and I love that it’s filled with fresh nutritious ingredients. Finally a way to get the kids to eat their greens!

Want to Make it Healthier?

• Use ground turkey in place of ground beef (avoid super lean turkey though like 99%) or even swap half pound of the beef for a can of drained and rinsed black beans.
• Make your own baked tortilla chips. To do so brush corn tortillas with olive oil, season with salt then cut into wedges, bake on greased cookie sheet about 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden brown, turning once halfway.
• Use light sour cream or omit. Same with the cheese.
• Add more veggies to the salad. Bell pepper, corn, or radishes are great options.

What Ingredients go into Taco Salad?

• Olive oil – for sautéing
• Lean ground beef – I like to use 85% lean Angus beef.
• Roasted salsa – I prefer the lightly charred depth of fire roasted salsa here but just about any bottled salsa will work (do skip the fruity ones here though).
• Chili powder andcumin– these standard Mexican spices add lots of flavor.
• Salt and pepper – what would food be without it?
• Cilantro – the cilantro gives the filling the perfect fresh finish.
• Lettuce – I think romaine is the best lettuce for taco salad but iceberg, green leaf or even spinach will work too.
• Tortilla chips, Mexican cheese, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream– all these toppings together create the perfect blend of textures and flavors to compliment the beef.

How do You Make Taco Salad?

• Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Crumble in beef in chunks. Let sear until browned on bottom, about 3 minutes then turn and break up beef and continue to cookie until cooked through.

• Drain fat from beef then stir in salsa, chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat through, about 1 minute.*

• Layer lettuce among individual plates. Top with chips, beef mixture, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Time Saving Tips:

• To make the most of your time and to get dinner on the table quickly I like to prep toppings while ground beef is browning.
• You could even use pico de gallo and guacamole from the produce section of the grocery store in place of diced tomatoes and avocados to save prep time.
• You can also buy a large bag of pre-cut romaine lettuce.

Can I Use a Store-Bought Taco Seasoning?

Store-bought taco seasonings are great but sometimes they have added thickeners like cornstarch and that won’t be needed here. Plus the bottled salsa steps in with onion and garlic so those few flavors found in taco seasoning are already added.

For this recipe I prefer to use just chili powder and cumin to keep it quick and simple but you could add more spices like coriander, paprika and cayenne if you’d like or try it with different types of chili powder like Ancho, New Mexico, California etc.

Can I Make it Ahead?

The beef mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few days, just rewarm in a skillet over low heat or reheat in the microwave, thin with a little broth if needed. It’s great for meal prep!

More Delicious Mexican Recipes to Try:

• Grilled Chicken and Avocado Street Tacos
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Carnitas (Crockpot or Instant Pot)
• Chicken Pozole Soup
• Tres Leches Cake
• Mexican Wedding Cookies