Tex-Mex
Taco Salad
Ground beef is cooked through to 160°F with chili spices, then piled on romaine with beans, tomato, cheddar, and crushed tortilla chips. The chips go on at the end so they stay crisp.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The beef is seasoned like taco meat, so the salad does not need a heavy dressing.
- Beans stretch the meat and add fiber.
- Chips replace a fried shell and still give the crunch.
- You can see when the beef is cooked through and confirm it at 160°F.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Thaw the ground beef in the refrigerator if it was frozen. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes.
- 2
Add the beef and break it up. Cook until no pink remains.
- 3
Check the center of the largest piece. The beef must read 160°F and be cooked through. If it is not there yet, keep cooking.
- 4
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and water. Simmer 3 minutes, until the water cooks off and the meat looks saucy, not wet. The meat stays cooked through.
- 5
Divide the romaine among four bowls. Add the beef, black beans, tomato, and cheddar.
- 6
Top with crushed chips and a spoon of salsa. Serve right away so the chips stay crisp.
Pro tips
- Drain excess fat after the beef hits 160°F if the pan looks greasy, then add the spices.
- Add the chips at the table, not in a packed lunch hours ahead.
- A lean grind still needs the water and spices so it does not taste dry.
Easy substitutions
- Ground beef
- Ground turkey. Cook it to 160°F and cooked through.
- Black beans
- Pinto beans.
- Salsa
- A squeeze of lime and a spoon of sour cream.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate the beef and the salad fixings separately for up to 3 days. Add fresh chips when you eat.
Reheating
Warm the beef in a skillet until it is hot and reads 165°F, then spoon it over fresh romaine.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 448
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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