This ground beef taco salad is a quick and easy dinner recipe to keep in your back pocket. It comes together quickly and is filling and wholesome. Load the taco salad with both your favorite taco toppings and salad fixings for a delicious dinner the family will love.
Taco night is always a hit, but sometimes we want to switch it up. This taco salad will be a surprise everyone will welcome. Also, try these chicken tostadas, a turkey taco casserole, and simple shredded chicken tacos to shake-up the dinner routine.
Ingredients
- Oil – Use a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil)
- Spices – chili powder, salt (we use kosher salt), garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, and black pepper.
- Ground Beef – It is best to use lean ground beef so it’s not too greasy. Use beef that is 93/7 (93 percent lean, 7 percent fat) it’s about as lean as you can find. Or use ground sirloin that’s about 8-10 percent fat.
- Pantry – The sauce is made with tomato sauce and beef broth
- Salad* – A mix of romaine and green leaf lettuce or iceberg is a good choice. Use something that will hold up to the meat and the toppings and has some crunch.
- Toppings – We top our salad simply with grape tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, and colorful tortilla strips. If you don’t have strips use crumbled tortilla chips instead. Other great topping options include corn, black beans, sliced jalapenos, avocado slices, black olives, green onions, and cilantro.
- Dressing – Ranch dressing works well on this salad. So will a chipotle ranch dressing, or thousand island. You can also take a serving of plain ranch and add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce for a spicy ranch dressing.
- *Salad, toppings, and dressing ingredients not pictured.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, sprinkle with the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and pepper. Stir well.
Arrange it in single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well and arrange in one layer again. Cook for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink. Stir and break up large pieces.
Add the tomato sauce and beef broth to the ground meat, stir. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes until it is no longer saucy. Stir occasionally and keep it simmering, lower or raise the heat as needed.
Let the taco meat cool enough so it’s not piping hot when it is added to the salad. Stir it occasionally to release steam so it cools faster. In the meantime, gather and prep the ingredients for the salad.
Add about 3 ounces of lettuce to a large salad bowl. Divide the ground beef evenly into four servings.
Layer ¼ of the ground beef taco meat and ¼ of the tomatoes, cheese, and tortilla strips (or your chosen toppings) over the lettuce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to build the other salads.
Add the salad dressing right before serving.
Storing
Store leftover ground taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Keep leftover lettuce in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Store any remaining toppings according to their package directions.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Check out the Web Story for this easy beef taco salad for a quick visual on making this delicious recipe.
Ground Beef Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil use a neutral oil with a high smoke point we used canola oil
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef use 93/7 or 90/10 lean to fat ratio
- ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt we used kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) can Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Beef Broth
- 12-16 ounces Lettuce chopped, divided (romaine, green leaf, and iceberg are good choices)
- 6-8 ounces Grape Tomatoes cut in halves or thirds, divided (or use another type of tomato, cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese divided
- 1 cup Tortilla Strips divided (or use crumbled corn tortilla chips)
- ½ cup Ranch Salad Dressing or your dressing of choice (good options include chipotle ranch and thousand island)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the ground beef.
- Sprinkle it with the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well to combine the beef with the spices.
- Arrange it in single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well and arrange in one layer again. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until no longer pink. Stir and break up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the tomato sauce and beef broth to the ground meat, stir. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for approximately 20 minutes until it is no longer saucy. Stir occasionally and keep it simmering, lower or raise the heat as needed.
- Let the taco meat cool enough so it’s not piping hot when it is added to the salad. Stir it occasionally to release steam so it cools faster. In the meantime, gather and prep the ingredients for the salad.
- Add about 3 ounces of lettuce to a large salad bowl. Divide the ground beef evenly into four servings.
- Layer ¼ of the ground beef taco meat and ¼ of the tomatoes, cheese, and tortilla strips (or your chosen toppings) over the lettuce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to build the other salads.
- Add the salad dressing right before serving.
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