Taco Salad
This healthy taco salad recipe is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Drizzle sour cream and salsa over the top for a spicy and tangy finish to this Mexican classic..
4
Servings
493
Calories
37.6g
Fat
29g
Protein
4.6g
Net Carb
8.4g
Total Carbs
Taco salad is filled with ground beef, homemade taco seasoning and is the perfect pairing with tortilla chips. For a Mexican-themed dinner or Taco Tuesday, top it with tomatoes, avocados, onions, cheese, and cilantro.
Easily add this dish to your menu for the week and meal prep at the beginning so you can have it ready to make a quick weeknight dinner. It’s one of those salads that you can whip up quickly if you aren’t prepared with dinner ideas. It’s easily adjustable to fit your tastes and preferences, so you can make changes wherever you want – mixing up the toppings, seasonings and meats (like chicken, ground turkey, steak or pork).
How to make taco salad
There are only a few short steps to make this beef taco salad.
- Combine seasonings – Add all the seasonings to a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Brown ground beef – Sauté a pound of ground beef in a skillet and cook until browned.
- Add the seasonings – Sprinkle the seasonings over the meat and pour in ¼ cup water. Simmer over low, medium heat until liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Assemble the salad – To a large bowl, create a layer of lettuce, seasoned ground beef mixture, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, onions, and cilantro. Top with sour cream and salsa.
Key ingredients
Use these taco salad ingredients to make the best quick and easy meal.
- Seasonings – This taco seasoning recipe uses a variety of Mexican spices, including chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, red pepper, cayenne, and oregano.
- Ground Beef – Use 80/20 ground beef for this taco meat recipe. You want a little fat but not too much since we’re simmering seasoned beef in liquid.
- Toppings – Use your favorite toppings, including lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocados, cheddar cheese, red onions, sliced olives, green onions, guacamole and cilantro.
- Sauces – Drizzle sour cream, pico de gallo and fresh salsa over the top for the dressing. Ranch dressing, guacamole and a squeeze of lime juice can be used as a salad dressing as well.
Taco Salad Recipe Video
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Taco Seasoning Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
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1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
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1 teaspoon salt
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½ teaspoon paprika
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¼ teaspoon garlic powder
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¼ teaspoon onion powder
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¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
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¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
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¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Taco Salad Ingredients
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1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
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2 hearts romaine lettuce, shredded
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1 tomato, diced
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½ avocado, diced
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½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
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¼ cup diced red onion
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¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
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¼ cup sour cream
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2 tablespoons salsa or pico de gallo
Taco Salad Directions
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Make homemade taco seasoning
In a small bowl, add chili powder, ground cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper and oregano. Mix to combine. Set aside.
Ingredients
- Chili powder
- Cumin (ground)
- Salt
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Cayenne pepper
- Oregano
Quick Tip
Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc to make a bulk amount. Store in a cool, dry place. -
Make taco meat
To a large skillet, add ground beef and cook over medium high heat until browned. Add in taco seasoning and ¼ cup of water. Low the heat to low medium, cover and simmer until liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir occasionally.
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning (from step 1)
- Water
Quick Tip
The longer the taco meat simmers, the softer and more flavorful the meat becomes. Add more water on occasion if needed. -
Assemble salad
To a large bowl layer down lettuce, taco ground beef mixture, tomato, avocado, cheese, onion and cilantro. Top with sour cream and salsa or pico de gallo.
Ingredients
- Lettuce
- Taco meat (from step 2)
- Cheese
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Salsa
Quick Tip
Serve with tortilla chips
This taco salad was super satisfying and full of bold flavors. I especially liked how the homemade taco seasoning came together, with the mix of paprika, cayenne pepper, and cumin giving the ground beef a deep, smoky flavor. Dicing the red onion and adding cilantro brought just the right amount of freshness and a nice crunch alongside the creamy avocado. It was also really helpful that the recipe included exact lettuce amounts with ‘2 hearts’ as a guide—it kept the balance just right. Only reason I’m not giving five stars is I wish the salsa part was slightly more emphasized—maybe a note about using chunky or smooth. But overall, a delicious and easy weeknight dinner.
Absolutely loved this taco salad recipe. What really stood out to me was how the cheddar cheese melted just slightly over the warm taco meat, which I cooked exactly as directed—with the homemade taco seasoning and ¼ cup of water. Letting it simmer covered helped all those spices soak right into the beef. The lettuce stayed crisp which added a refreshing contrast, and the diced tomato and avocado provided just enough moisture without needing a dressing. I also appreciated how balanced the ingredient amounts were—especially the ¼ cup of onion and cilantro which gave both crunch and a fresh herbal note. This will definitely be our go-to for taco night.
This recipe was a total win for a busy weeknight. I loved how the taco meat simmered with the homemade seasoning and water—it really soaked up the flavors and made the texture rich and tender. Using romaine hearts gave the salad a crisp base that held up well under the warm beef. The cheese melted slightly from the heat and mixed beautifully with the creamy sour cream on top. I appreciated the ratio of salad to protein, it felt hearty but still refreshing.