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    Home » Recipes » Salad and Easy Bowl Recipes

    Fiesta Taco Salad

    Published: Apr 5, 2023 by Elizabeth Rodriguez

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    The ground beef taco salad served in a white bowl set on an aqua colored table with a blue linen, a form, and a small dish with dressing in the background. Under the image is a white and aqua graphic with the title.

    This fiesta taco salad is a quick and easy recipe that's perfect for weeknight dinners. With flavorful ground beef and all your favorite taco and salad toppings, it's a delicious meal that's sure to satisfy everyone at the table.

    The ground beef taco salad served in a white bowl set on an aqua colored table with a blue linen, a form, and a small dish with dressing in the background.

    What's great about this recipe

    • Flavorful: The ground beef is seasoned perfectly, providing a savory and satisfying base for the toppings.
    • Versatile: It's great for lunches, dinners, or parties and fits a variety of dietary preferences. You can even substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or plant-based meat alternatives.
    • Wholesome: It’s a meal that includes protein and vegetables but still tastes absolutely delicious.
    • Family-Friendly: Its beautiful presentation and terrific flavors will be a hit with both adults and kids.

    Ingredients

    The ingredients for the taco meat for the salad arranged in glass bowls and set on a white table. Each ingredient is labeled in small black letters.
    • 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.
    • See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.

    *Salad, toppings, and dressing ingredients are not pictured.

    How to make our fiesta taco salad

    Raw ground beef with seasoning on top in a large, black skillet.

    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.

    Seasoned ground beef cooking in a large, black skillet.

    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.

    Tomato sauce being added to browned ground beef in a large, black skillet.

    Add the tomato sauce and beef broth to the ground meat, stir. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet.

    The finished taco meat still in the large, black 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.

    The ground beef taco salad served in a white bowl set on an aqua colored table with a blue linen, a form, and a small dish with dressing in the background.

    Storing Instructions

    • 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.
    A close up of the taco salad served in a white bowl.

    Taco night is always a hit, but sometimes we want to switch it up. This fiesta taco salad will be a surprise everyone will welcome. Also, try our ground beef tostadas, these shredded chicken tostadas, our turkey taco casserole is always a hit, and these simple shredded chicken tacos.

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    📖 Recipe

    The ground beef taco salad served in a white bowl set on an aqua colored table with a blue linen, a form, and a small dish with dressing in the background.

    Fiesta Taco Salad

    Elizabeth Rodriguez
    This fiesta taco salad is a quick and easy recipe that's perfect for weeknight dinners. With flavorful ground beef and all your favorite taco and salad toppings, it's a delicious meal that's sure to satisfy everyone at the table.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Le the meat cool off 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 55 minutes mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 502 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 34gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1461mgPotassium: 864mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1622IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 254mgIron: 4mg

    The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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