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This easy taco salad recipe is one of those meals that’s easy to pull together when you need something quick, flavorful, and filling. It uses simple ingredients, and most of it can be prepped ahead or put together right before serving.
I love to keep meals like this in mind for busy days when dinner needs to come together without much planning. The combination of seasoned ground beef, crisp lettuce, and your favorite toppings makes it feel complete without a lot of extra work.
My husband once told me he wouldn’t mind eating taco salad every week. It’s his favorite meal, so we tend to have it fairly often. It’s one of my go-to cheap and easy meal ideas.
If you enjoy simple meals like this, you’ll also enjoy this BBQ chicken sheet pan dinner, French onion meatballs, chicken fajita wraps, or black bean tostadas.
Why You’ll Love Easy Taco Salad
- Quick to make: Ready in about 30 minutes perfect for a busy weeknight.
- Customizable: Add or skip toppings based on what you have. Also, instead of the listed spices, you can use about 4 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning mix if you have that on hand. Or, you can use a packet of taco seasoning (you’d need 2 for this recipe).
- Balanced meal: Combines protein, vegetables, and crunch in one bowl.
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Ground Chuck: This recipe uses ground chuck, 80/20 ratio, ground beef or ground chicken can be substituted for chuck if preferred.
- Avocado Oil: A couple tablespoons of oil prevent the meat from sticking during searing. Vegetable oil or beef tallow can be substituted for avocado oil.
- Chili Powder: A blend of spices, chili powder provides a savory flavor with a mild level of heat to the meat.
- Cumin: Ground cumin gives the meat a rich depth of smoky earthy flavor.
- Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: These add an aromatic flavor to the meat.
- Oregano: Oregano lends a fresh peppery taste.
- Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper gives a bold heat to the taco meat, add more for additional spicy kick, or less if you prefer less heat.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Crushed red pepper flakes add additional heat to the taco meat.
- Salt/Pepper: Salt and pepper enhance the flavors of the taco meat.
- Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is crisp and will not wilt under the heavy toppings. Romane lettuce can be substituted for iceberg.
- Tortilla Chips: Tortilla chips add crunch to the salad. Your preferred chip can be used, round or restaurant style tortilla chips, tortilla strips, or corn chips can also be used.
- Cheese: Taco salad can be topped with your preferred cheese, white or yellow. American, cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, or Cotija can be used.
- Toppings: Customize your taco salad with your favorite toppings. Diced onion, tomatoes, black olives, bell peppers, avocados, canned black beans, corn, salsa, guacamole, Pico de Gallo, fresh jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, sliced green onions, and sour cream all can be served with taco salad.
How to Make This Easy Taco Salad Recipe
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this Easy Ground Beef Taco Salad Recipe:
Step 1: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil. Brown the ground chuck in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Drain excess grease.
Step 2: Return the meat to the skillet. Add the spices and 3/4 cup water, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquid reduces and the flavors come together. Keep warm.
Step 3: Assemble the salad by adding shredded lettuce to a bowl, topping with taco meat, and adding your favorite taco toppings.
Tips for Success
- Brown the meat in batches to get better flavor and texture. Or, use a larger skillet.
- Don’t skip draining grease to keep the salad from becoming heavy.
- Add toppings just before serving to keep everything crisp.
- Adjust spice levels by increasing or decreasing cayenne or red pepper flakes. If these are too spicy for you, you can leave them out altogether.
How to Store
- Store leftover taco meat and toppings separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Reheat the taco meat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Assemble fresh for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, ground turkey or chicken work well as a lighter option.
You can prepare the meat ahead and store it separately. Assemble the salad right before serving.
Yes, just make sure your tortilla chips are gluten-free.
More Easy Meals
- Sheet Pan Beef Nachos
- Taco Stuffed Shells
- Sheet Pan Beef Fajitas
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
If you make this easy taco salad recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Easy Taco Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 pounds ground chuck, or ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (can use up to 1/2 tsp)
- 3/4 cup water
Toppings
- 6 cups iceberg lettuce, or Romaine, shredded
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced, optional
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat a 12-inch pan over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Brown the ground chuck in 2-3 batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, searing the meat slightly. Once all the meat is browned, drain the excess grease.
- Return the meat to the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the spices and ¾ cup of water, stir until thoroughly combined. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, continue to cook uncovered for the water to reduce and flavors to meld. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Assemble the taco salad. Start with a base of 1-2 cups of shredded lettuce, top with ½ – ¾ cup of taco meat, top with desired toppings, serve immediately.
Notes
- Brown the meat in batches to get better flavor and texture. Or, use a larger skillet, or use two 12-inch skillets to brown the meat.
- Don’t skip draining grease to keep the salad from becoming heavy.
- Add toppings just before serving to keep everything crisp.
- Adjust spice levels by increasing or decreasing cayenne or red pepper flakes.
- Store leftover taco meat and toppings separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Reheat the taco meat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Assemble fresh for best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
