Weeknight Taco Salad is a staple on American dining tables and restaurants due to its simplicity and combination of great flavors with a little healthy lettuce! Ground beef, seasoned with Mexican seasonings on a crisp bed of lettuce with a tangy dressing!
I like to serve this Mexican taco salad as a quick, one-dish-dinner on a busy weeknight! The prep time is minimal and clean-up is a cinch! If you have leftover seasoned ground beef, store it in the fridge and have easy leftovers in a minute!
Ingredients for Taco Salad
The star of the dish is the seasoned ground beef. You’ll need: onion, chile powder, ground cumin and enchilada sauce. If you want, you can add a little salsa to the beef as well.
How to Make Taco Salad
- Saute onion in a tablespoon of oil
- Add ground beef and cook until browned thoroughly
- Drain
- Return meat and onions to skillet
- Add remaining seasonings and enchilada sauce; cook 15 minutes
- Serve over crisp lettuce greens and garnish with your favorite cheese and salad dressing
There are many variations of the taco salad. Some are meatless, with only black beans, corn and avocado. Others include chicken or beef, and some include “fajita beef or chicken” with an array of peppers. This easy recipe uses crisp iceberg or romaine lettuce as the base with seasoned ground beef. Feel free to add drained beans or corn to the beef mixture and serve with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and chipotle dressing!
Chipotle Salad Dressing
The chipotle dressing is a simple combination of a ranch-style dressing mixed with canned chipotle peppers packed in Adobo sauce.
Combine your favorite ranch dressing with one or two chipotle peppers and a little of the Adobo sauce. Taste for your individual spice preference! Make the dressing as spicy as you want by adjusting the amount of chipotle peppers!
Craving More? Try Santa Fe Tamale Pie or True Texas Chili!
Weeknight Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom skillet, add oil and onions; saute on medium heat until onions are semi-tender
- Add beef; cook beef until there is no visible pink; drain beef and onions in colander and return to skillet
- Add remaining ingredients to beef/onion mixture; cook until mixture has thickened a bit
- Taste for seasonings; plate over lettuce and garnish with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and/or tortilla chips
