Taco Salad

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: 

• Lime Cilantro Rice
• Refried Beans Without the Refry
• Mexican Corn

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