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    Home ≫ Salad

    Easy Taco Salad

    Updated January 9, 2022. Originally Posted August 4, 2020 By Nikole This post may contain Amazon affiliate links.

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    straight on view of salad in a wooden bowl with dressing drizzled over top
    close up overhead and straight on view of taco salad in a wooden bowl drizzled with dressing
    close up overhead and straight on view of taco salad in a wooden bowl drizzled with dressing
    close up overhead and straight on view of taco salad in a wooden bowl drizzled with dressing

    This Easy Taco Salad is a healthy-ish salad the whole family will love. Made with ground beef, fresh corn, black beans, and topped with spicy Doritos and a creamy southwest dressing. This is sure to become one of your favorite 30 minute meals!

    a large wooden bowl overflowing with taco salad drizzled with creamy dressing

    Why you'll love it

    It's quick and easy! You can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. This recipe relies on quick cooking ground beef so you don't have to spend a lot of time standing over the stove.

    It's made with easy to find ingredients! No need to search far and wide for these easy to find ingredients. Ground beef, canned black beans, and poblano peppers are readily available at most grocery stores.

    It's a full of Tex Mex flavor that the whole family will love! This recipe is loaded with all the Mexican inspired flavors we all know and love like black beans, corn, and poblano peppers. The dressing adds a nice touch of lime and the Spicy Doritos add a nice little kick.

    Ingredients

    This recipe call for my homemade Easy Taco Seasoning, but you can substitute with one package of store bought.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Make salad dressing by combining salsa, ranch (bottled or this homemade recipe) sour cream, and one tablespoon fresh lime juice. Remove corn from the cob, chop poblano pepper and garlic.

    Heat oil over medium heat and cook chopped poblano and garlic until softened-about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Crumble ground beef into pan and sprinkle in the taco seasoning. Cook until meat is no longer pink.

    collage of peppers and ground beef being cooked in a black skillet

    Add one can drained black beans and 1 cup fresh (or canned) corn. Mix until well combined and heated through. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Top torn lettuce with taco meat mixture, toppings like avocado and tomatoes, and drizzle with salad dressing.

    If you're looking for other delicious Tex Mex salad dressings, try this Avocado Ranch Dressing!

    Expert tips

    This Easy Taco Salad is best with a heartier lettuce such as iceberg or romaine. I like to combine the two and add a few leaves of green or red leaf as well. Feel free to use the bagged version, or tear your own.

    Not into black beans? Swap out with whatever your favorite is...pinto, navy, kidney. If you prefer to leave the beans out all together, then add about half a pound more of ground beef.

    Does ground turkey work well as taco meat? Yes, it does. I use it all the time in place of ground beef.

    Doritos not your thing? No problem. You can leave them out. Many different varieties of chips will work like corn tostada chips, Fritos (any flavor) or just plain croutons!

    The dressing works great as a dip too!

    Did you know that black beans are full of good for you fiber? Find out more about the importance of fiber from Tufts University!

    More Healthy-ish Salads you'll like

    Mexican Pasta Salad

    Panzanella

    Greek Pasta Salad

    Citrus Salad with Quinoa

    Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad

    call to action -did you make a recipe? leave a comment and a star rating below-i love hearing from you!

    close up overhead view of wooden bowl filled with salad drizzled with creamy dressing

    Easy Taco Salad

    Recipe by Nikole Berg
    Easy Taco Salad Recipe is an easy and healthy-ish salad the whole family will love. Made with grounf beef, fresh corn, black beans, and topped with spicy Doritos and a creamy southwest dressing. You'll love this easy and classic dinner that works as a side or main dish!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Appetizer, Salad
    Cuisine Mexican/Tex-Mex, Tex-Mex
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 1016 kcal

    Equipment

    Salad Servers

    Ingredients
      

    Taco Meat

    • 2 teaspoons mild flavored oil such as vegetable or canola or cooking spray on a nonstick skillet
    • 1 pound lean ground beef such as ground sirloin
    • 1 poblano pepper chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped
    • 3 tablespoons Easy Taco Seasoning or 1 package store bought
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

    Salad

    • 2- 11 ounce bags romaine or iceberg lettuce or a mix of the two
    • 2 tomatoes diced
    • 1-2 cups shredded cheddar pepper jack, or Mexican blend cheese
    • 1-2 avocados diced or sliced; optional
    • 3 cups crushed Doritos Spicy, Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch

    Salad Dressing

    • ¼   cup bottled salsa such as Pace (not chunky style)
    • ½ cup ranch dressing bottled or homemade
    • ¼ cup  sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chopped poblano pepper and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
    • Increase heat to medium high. Crumble ground beef into pan. Add taco seasoning and cook until browned and no longer pink.
    • Add drained black beans and corn to beef mixture. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
    • Add lettuce to a large salad bowl. Top with taco meat, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and crushed chips.
    • Drizzle dressing over and serve immediately.

    Salad Dressing

    • Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover leftovers in a tightly fitting container and store in refrigerator for one to two days.

    Notes

    • This Easy Taco Salad is best with a heartier lettuce such as iceberg or romaine. I like to combine the two and add a few leaves of green or red leaf as well. Feel free to use the bagged version, or tear your own.
    • Not into black beans? Swap out with whatever your favorite is…pinto, navy, kidney. If you prefer to leave the beans out all together, then add about half a pound more of ground beef.
    • Does ground turkey work well as taco meat? Yes, it does. I use it all the time in place of ground beef.
    • Doritos not your thing? No problem. You can leave them out. Many different varieties of chips will work like corn tostada chips, Fritos (any flavor) or just plain croutons!
    • The dressing works great as a dip too!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6servingsCalories: 1016kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 31gFat: 63gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 1388mgPotassium: 882mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 771IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 349mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword doritos salad, Mexican Food, taco meat, Taco Salad, Tex-Mex Recipes
    Tried this recipe?Click here to leave a helpful tip!

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    About Nikole

    Nikole is the creator and photographer behind The Travel Palate, a food and travel blog featuring quick and flavorful recipes and getaway guides. Nikole hopes to inspire your inner foodie whether you're in the kitchen or traveling on your next adventure.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ramona

      April 29, 2019 at 7:07 am

      This is screaming out my name - my kinda salad all day long! all those flavours, definitely hit the jackpot. Yumm, yumm. I cannot wait to make it, thank you so much for sharing this gorgeour recipe Nikole.

      Reply
      • Nikole

        May 24, 2019 at 8:12 am

        Thank you Ramona! Yes to salads all day long! Thank you for your comments!

        Reply
    2. Brian Jones

      April 29, 2019 at 2:11 am

      Oh my that looks so good, definitely my kinda salad, hearty, full of flavour but still a little 'lighter'.

      Reply
      • Nikole

        May 24, 2019 at 8:14 am

        Thanks Brian!

        Reply
    3. Jacqueline Debono

      April 29, 2019 at 12:51 am

      Love the idea of all the flavours of tacos in a salad! This would make a great weeknight meal or weekend lunch!

      Reply
      • Nikole

        May 24, 2019 at 8:15 am

        This is our go to weeknight dinner-quick, a little lighter, and yum! Thanks for your comments!

        Reply
    4. Fiorenza

      April 28, 2019 at 7:38 am

      Such a simple and fanciful salad, interesting the addition of chipotles, that's a good idea. I'll give it a try soon, thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Nikole

        May 24, 2019 at 8:17 am

        I happened to have some leftover chipotles around and decided to add them in. I loved the extra spice and earthiness it gave the meat! Thank you for your comment!

        Reply
    5. Susan @ Simply Sundays

      April 27, 2019 at 5:43 pm

      Way to step up taco salad! I love the ranch-salsa dressing and the addition of chipotles!

      Reply
      • Nikole

        May 24, 2019 at 8:19 am

        Thanks Susan!

        Reply
    6. Lee

      April 27, 2019 at 12:55 pm

      Looks good!

      Reply

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