Why you’ll love this taco salad recipe
- Taco salad is a classic, especially when it’s made with the Midwest’s favorite, taco seasoning from a packet. The flavor is just so nostalgic and satisfying.
- When I’m looking for a lighter alternative to taco night, this is what I make. And, I give myself bonus points because the kids can just keep their boring tacos.
- The dressing isn’t super fancy, but instead, it’s a simple creamy dressing make with a base of taco sauce and mayo. It doesn’t sound like much, but I promise, you’ll love it.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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How to make taco salad and dressing
Make the taco salad dressing. Combine the taco sauce, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and transfer to a container until you’re ready to serve your salad.
Cook the taco meat. In a large skillet, brown your ground beef and follow the directions on your taco seasoning packet. Usually this includes adding water and letting it slowly simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside until you’re ready to assemble.
Prep your salad. While the meat is simmering, chop your veggies and drain your beans. I like to use a mix of different vegetables. It usually includes corn, black beans, peppers, tomatoes and cucumber, but you can use whatever toppings you like. I also love to add pickled onions if I have them.
You can also allow everyone to customize their own bowls by keeping the ingredients separately. This is what we usually do because not everyone likes everything, and the kids can pick and choose.
Serve the salad. Top each bowl of salad with a little bit of dressing and garnish with crushed tortilla chips.
More salad recipes you should try
- Tropical salad with mango dressing
- Southwestern chopped salad with avocado dressing
- Arugula zucchini salad dressing
- Italian chopped salad
More dairy free dressings you’ll love
- Chipotle salad dressing
- Easy caesar salad dressing recipe
- Vegan blue cheese dressing
- Japanese salad dressing
No. Mayonnaise is not dairy.
But, if you think it is, you are not alone. It’s common misconception that stems from the fact that mayo needs to be refrigerated, which is something we often associate with dairy. Plus, mayo is made with eggs, which are also confused as a dairy product.
Taco Salad Dressing
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1- ounce packet taco seasoning
- 1 English cucumber, cored, halved and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup pickled onions
- 1 15- ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Tortilla chips, for serving
For the dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup taco sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and allow it to cook, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned.
- Add taco seasoning and 3/4 cup of water and simmer until water has evaporated. Stir as needed to prevent burning.
- While the beef is cooking, assemble the salad.
- Serve salads in individual bowls topped with beef and desired amount of dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Amazing! Super easy and makes my taco salad tastier!
Loved this dressing. I used salsa instead of taco sauce because thats what I had on hand.
That sounds great! I’m glad you liked it!
This was such a tasty dressing! So good I am making it again this week.
Please enlighten me on what “taco sauce” is? Thank you
It’s a condiment that is usually by the taco ingredients and kits at grocery stores. We usually buy Ortega.
What is taco sauce?
This is what we used for our taco sauce.
“Egg free!”
You know mayonnaise has eggs in it, right? 😂
I definitely know mayonnaise contains eggs, oops! Thanks for pointing out the incorrect tags on the post; we’ve updated that now.
Didn’t have taco sauce, so I used 1t each chili powder and cumin. Threw in a cherry tomato for moisture. Very nice, light dressing.