Taco Salad

4.3
(531)

This taco salad is a tasty twist on the conventional taco salad. And the children have fun helping me prepare all the extras before we mix it all together! You can also place the spicy beef and toppings in individual serving bowls and allow people to assemble their own salads.

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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
8

This restaurant-worthy taco salad recipe is quick, easy, and full of flavor. 

How to Make Taco Salad

You'll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe below, but let's go over the basics:

Taco Salad Ingredients

Wondering what goes into a taco salad? Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Beef: This meaty taco salad starts with a pound of lean ground beef. 
  • Beans: You’ll also need a can of chili beans. 
  • Dressing: Use store-bought or homemade French salad dressing. You can easily omit this ingredient if you prefer a more traditional flavor. 
  • Seasoning: Use store-bought or homemade taco seasoning mix
  • Chips: Crushed tortilla chips add welcome crunch and salty flavor.
  • Lettuce: You can’t have taco salad without shredded iceberg lettuce!
  • Toppings: Top your taco salad with Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, salsa (store-bought or homemade, of course), and sour cream. 

Optional

  • More popular toppings include jalapenos, corn, pico de gallo, avocado, black beans, onions, and black olives. 
  • If you like, you can serve the taco salad in a store-bought tortilla bowl or in our homemade baked tortilla bowls

How to Make a Taco Salad Bowl

Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this easy taco salad recipe: 

  1. Cook the beef, then stir in the beans, dressing, and seasoning. 
  2. Place crushed chips in a bowl, then top with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. 
  3. Mix in the meat mixture.
  4. Finish the taco salad bowls with sour cream and salsa. 

What to Serve With Taco Salad

This taco salad recipe is pretty hearty all on its own, but it’ll work well with any side dishes you’d normally serve with tacos. Check out our collection of 12 Side Dishes to Round Out Taco Night for delicious inspiration. Here are a few of the mouthwatering recipes you’ll find: 

How to Store Taco Salad

Taco salad is best served fresh. However, if you’d like to prep your ingredients and store them in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to heat and serve, you can do that for up to three days. 

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“This is SO YUMMY and is gluten-free friendly,” says gs8jn6wxny. “Everyone in the family loves it and it’s a favorite amongst everyone.”

“I added a chopped bell pepper and chopped yellow onion to the meat as it was browning,” according to Melisa Mumford. “It was delicious and I will definitely make it again.”

“Delicious,” raves Laurene. “I let the meat and bean mixture simmer for about 45 minutes as it seemed very liquidy. Most of the liquid cooked out and the consistency was perfect after that.”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans

  • 1 (16 ounce) bottle French dressing

  • 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

  • 1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips

  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes

  • ½ cup prepared salsa

  • 4 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Stir in chili beans, French-style dressing, and seasoning mix. Fill the empty dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

    an overhead shot of chili beans, French-style dressing, and seasoning mix combined with ground beef in a pan with a wooden spoon

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Crush the bag of chips, open the bag, and toss crushed chips into a large bowl.

    an overhead shot of shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes and chips in glass bowls

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Add cheese, and tomatoes. Pour meat mixture into the bowl; mix well.

    an overhead shot of taco salad ingredients combined in a glass mixing bowl

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Fill a bowl with lettuce. Top with meat mixture, salsa, and sour cream. Serve warm and enjoy!

    close up on a bowl of taco salad
    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
769 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

846 Calories
57g Fat
60g Carbs
26g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 846
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 57g 72%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 1580mg 69%
Total Carbohydrate 60g 22%
Dietary Fiber 7g 24%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 26g 52%
Vitamin C 7mg 7%
Calcium 341mg 26%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 681mg 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.