Taco Salad

 

I was at our local eatery the other day for lunch with my daughter and her husband.  They have a Taco Salad on the menu, which they charge $15.99 plus tax for. It is a very popular menu item and is ginormous in size!  You always see a lot of people ordering it.  

I was there for lunch with friends once and several of them had ordered it so I got to see it up close. I have always felt that it was a bit overpriced.  It was mostly taco bowl, with not a lot of salad in the middle, and a somewhat chintzy topping.

Maybe it is just me, but, I would rather make a Taco Salad for myself at home.  That way I can control what goes into it, etc. I am not a huge fan of ground beef anyways, and would always rather have ground turkey in its place.  I find that if I make my own salad at home I always know that my lettuce is really fresh as well as the other ingredients.  

You can call me picky. That's okay.  I wear the badge of the picky diner proudly! I like to get what I am paying for!

This recipe I am sharing with you today had been adapted from The Better Homes & Gardens All-time Favorites Cookbook.  I have always loved the BH & G cookbooks.  They are filled with reliable recipes and this book is no different.  It contains 70 years of the best-loved recipes from America's best selling cookbook, put out by Better Homes & Gardens. I purchased mine second hand, but in very good condition.

Published in 1999 it contains recipes going back to the 1930's.  All of the old favorites are here. I adore vintage cookbooks and vintage recipes.  This recipe for Taco Salad is from their 1968 cookbook.  It is a hearty salad spin-off of the traditional and popular hand-held taco!

 

Taco Salads are much easier and less messy to eat than Tacos.  I love them. They are healthy, hearty and delicious, plus you get to eat the bowl!  Always a bonus!

This is a great recipe to serve when you are having the ladies over for lunch. You can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you like, depending on the ingredients used. It is a basic taco filling, served over a bed of salad containing lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and spring onions.

The filling itself is a mix of ground meat, spices, garlic, taco sauce, beans and corn. You can make it as spicy or as mild as you wish.

The taco bowls are very easily made using large flour tortillas and heat-proof bowls or small casserole dishes.  Thy make a really great edible receptacle for holding the salad and provide a tasty point of interest!

You can, of course, leave the bowls out altogether and just serve the taco filling over top of the lettuce salad and add some tortilla chips for crunch on the top. Its all a matter of choice. Both the filling and the bowls can be made up well ahead of time and just reheated prior  to serving the salads

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TACO SALAD

Simple, natural, nutritious ingredients. There is nothing too fancy, outrageous, or out of the ordinary here!

• 1 recipe tortilla cups (see notes)
• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey (227g)
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (15oz/425g) tin of black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (8 ounce/227g) jar of taco sauce
• 3/4 cup (98g) sweet corn (optional)
• 1 TBS chili powder (in the UK do not use regular chili powder, but a very mild one)
• 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
• 4 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3/4 cup (85g) grated sharp cheddar cheese

To serve: (optional)

• Dairy sour cream
• salsa
• taco sauce
• lime wedges

 

Where I live there, as compared to when I was living in the U.K. there are a lot of Tex Mex Ingredients available, so that is not really a problem. In the last few years I was in the U.K. they were becoming fairly common over there as well.

I used ground Turkey for my salad as I am not overly fond of ground beef. You will want to use lean turkey or beef regardless.  This helps to keep it on the healthier side.

Chili powder in the U.K. is unadulterated with anything. It is PURE ground dried red chilies. Do NOT use this as it will blow your head off. In North America the chili powder has had things added to it like oregano, etc.  In the U.K. I would be tempted to use a package of Taco seasoning mix, rather than the chili powder to be honest. 

If you do use the regular chili powder, you will not need much.  This all depends on how spicy you like things, and by that I mean HOT.  I would start off with 1/4 tsp and work  my way up gradually from that!

Everything else is pretty much self explanatory.  I used 9-inch tortillas to make the bowls.

  

This meat filling is also very good in quesadillas, layered with some cheese for grilling.

HOW TO MAKE TACO SALAD

This is such a simple salad to make and oh so delicious! Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way!

Prepare the tortilla cups (see notes) and set aside.

Brown the turkey or ground beef in a medium skillet over moderate heat until the juices run clear. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Drain off any fat that has accumulated.

Stir in the beans, taco sauce, corn and chili powder. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and spring onions.

To serve divide the lettuce mixture amongst the taco shells (baskets). Top each with a portion of the meat sauce and, if desired avocado slices. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, dividing it equally.

If desired serve with additional taco sauce, salsa, or sour cream.

 

Notes

To make the tortilla cups: Lightly brush one side of six (9 or 10 inch) flour tortillas with a small amount of water, or spray with non-stick low fat cooking spray. Coat six oven-safe bowls or 2 cup individual casserole dishes with some cooking spray. Drape and press the tortillas, coated sides up, into the bowls or casserole dishes. Place a ball of foil into the center of each tortilla. Bake in a 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 oven for 15 to 20 minutes until light brown. Remove foil and leave to cool. Remove tortilla cups from the bowls once cold and either use immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

 

I really loved the simplicity of this recipe. I am a no bells and whistles kind of a gal. You could amp it up if you wanted to depending on the toppings you choose to use, and even amp up the filling by adding green chilies or diced jalapenos when you are browning the meat.

If you wanted to you could add a creamy Spiced Ranch Dressing to use on top.  This one looks really good and delicious.  I was happy with this just the way it was.   That's me.  Lazy and uncomplicated! I like the simple things in life most of all!

If you are a fan of main dish salads, you might also enjoy the following:

GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD -  This has always been my favorite of all salads.  Far too often I have ordered one in a restaurant only to be disappointed when it arrives, with limp lettuce which has seen better days, chicken you have to hunt for and a less than flavor-filled dressing. This homemade salad will not disappoint!  Lovely seasoned and grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce, pieces of crispy bacon, homemade crispy croutons and a tangy flavor filled Caesar dressing!

BACON AND EGG SALAD - A wonderful main dish salad.  Here you have crisp hearts of romaine lettuce, topped with rich quartered boiled egg, crispy bacon, grilled tomatoes and crisp homemade buttery croutons.  With its fabulous creamy dressing, you can have your bacon and eat it too!

TURKEY, SOUR CHERRY & ALMOND PASTA SALAD -  With its delicious sweet and sour poppyseed dressing, this salad is a really winning combination of cooked shredded turkey, tangy sour cherries, farfalle (bowtie) pasta, and blue cheese crumbles.  Serve on a bed of shredded ice berg lettuce which adds an additional layer of crispness.

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Taco Salad

Cook time: 30 MinTotal time: 30 Min

A delicious main meal salad that can be made with either ground turkey or beef. You can make it with or without the tortilla cups (see notes.) This recipe has been pleasing people since the late 1960's and is a real favorite luncheon dish with the ladies!

Ingredients

• 1 recipe tortilla cups (see notes)
• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey (227g)
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (15oz/425g) tin of black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (8 ounce/227g) jar of taco sauce
• 3/4 cup (98g) sweet corn (optional)
• 1 TBS chili powder (in the UK do not use regular chili powder, but a very mild one)
• 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
• 4 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3/4 cup (85g) grated sharp cheddar cheese

To serve: (optional)

• Dairy sour cream
• salsa
• taco sauce
• lime wedges

Instructions

1. Prepare the tortilla cups (see notes) and set aside.
2. Brown the turkey or ground beef in a medium skillet over moderate heat until the juices run clear. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Drain off any fat that has accumulated.
3. Stir in the beans, taco sauce, corn and chili powder. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and spring onions.
5. To serve divide the lettuce mixture amongst the taco shells. Top each with a portion of the meat sauce and, if desired avocado slices. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, dividing it equally.
6. If desired serve with additional taco sauce, salsa, or sour cream.

Notes

To make the tortilla cups: Lightly brush one side of six (9 or 10 inch) flour tortillas with a small amount of water, or spray with non-stick low fat cooking spray. Coat six oven-safe bowls or 2 cup individual casserole dishes with some cooking spray. Drape and press the tortillas, coated sides up, into the bowls or casserole dishes. Place a ball of foil into the center of each tortilla. Bake in a 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 oven for 15 to 20 minutes until light brown. Remove foil and leave to cool. Remove tortilla cups from the bowls once cold and either use immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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