Taco salad is nice and all, however doesn’t it drive you loopy when all the good things sinks to the underside of your bowl? Not with this Make-Forward Taco Salad!

On this simple taco salad recipe, we add the salad elements and creamy dressing first earlier than including the romaine. If you’re able to serve, tip the bowl the other way up so all of the dressing coats the lettuce and every part’s properly blended collectively. Your boring bites of plain lettuce are formally over.

A vibrant taco salad with ground meat, mixed greens, tomatoes, cheese, corn, black beans, and crispy tortilla strips, served with a creamy dressing on the side.

Featured Remark

I put the Make-Forward Taco Salad collectively this morning to serve tonight for dinner. It was completely DELICIOUS with minimal prep! I’ll positively be making this recipe once more. One other tasty recipe from the FFF crew!– Kari

I LOVE this make-ahead taco salad not solely as a result of it’s designed to provide the excellent ratio of toppings to lettuce in each chew but in addition as a result of it makes meal prep a breeze. With this tipping methodology, you’ll be able to simply pack this tasty salad for lunch or deliver it to a potluck with out worrying about it getting soggy.

Simply cook dinner and season your taco meat combination, let it cool, assemble your layered taco salad, and refrigerate for as much as two days. Then, whenever you’re able to eat, tip, high, and revel in! 

What’s in Make-Forward Taco Salad

  • Floor beef: We used lean floor beef. It provides protein and an important meaty taste to the salad.
  • Taco seasoning: To make issues easy, we used a packet of taco seasoning. However you’re welcome to make home made taco seasoning when you’d like!
  • Creamy cilantro dressing: For the salad dressing, we used Dealer Joe’s model of creamy cilantro dressing. It’s our FAVE!
  • Canned black beans: Canned beans are tremendous handy and up the vitamin of this salad.
  • Frozen corn: We like to make use of frozen candy corn as a result of it’s simple to defrost and provides a pleasant sweetness to the salad.
  • Canned jalapeños: Kick up the warmth with some canned jalapeños! Be at liberty to skip when you don’t like issues sizzling.
  • Shredded cheddar cheese: We suggest thick-cut shredded cheese to offer this salad some further texture.
  • Romaine lettuce: Crisp lettuce is a should for this scrumptious salad. It doesn’t wilt as shortly as different sorts of lettuce, which is tremendous essential when you’re making this forward of time.
  • Tortilla strips: Add some crunchy tortilla strips or make your personal by crumbling tortilla chips or frying up tortilla strips.
A ceramic dish containing a creamy mixture topped with thinly sliced red onions.

Tasty Swaps & Combine-Ins

Everybody has their very own favourite taco toppings, so be happy to combine and match elements on this taco salad recipe. Some nice additions or swaps embrace:

Dressing: Be at liberty to make a home made dressing. This avocado cilantro dressing is ideal for this simple salad!

Meat: We used floor beef, however be happy to make use of floor turkey, floor rooster, or a veggie floor. 

Cheese: This nice recipe has been examined with each queso fresco and cheddar cheese. Use whichever cheese you favor. 

Warmth: If you’d like your salad to be spicy, use canned jalapeños. In the event you’d like a extra delicate taste, use canned inexperienced chilis. 

A baking dish with black beans, cherry tomatoes, and sliced onions, ready for cooking.A baking dish with black beans, cherry tomatoes, and sliced onions, ready for cooking.

Our Prime Suggestions for this Make-Forward Taco Salad

  • Be sure you use a giant bowl or casserole dish with a lid. That is vital since you want sufficient house to layer the elements after which tip it the other way up when serving.
  • Pack the lettuce tightly. You wish to actually pack the contemporary lettuce into the bowl, so it holds its form whenever you flip it the other way up.
  • Refrigerate till able to serve. This taco salad could be made as much as 2 days upfront, however ensure that to refrigerate it till you’re able to eat. This retains every part contemporary and crisp.
A baking dish with layers of ground beef, corn, and shredded cheese.A baking dish with layers of ground beef, corn, and shredded cheese.

Learn how to Retailer

Due to its tipping nature, this beef taco salad doesn’t retailer nicely as soon as it’s been served. However you probably have leftovers earlier than serving, listed here are our suggestions for storage: 

  • Within the bowl: You probably have leftovers within the giant bowl, cowl it tightly with plastic wrap and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
  • In smaller containers: In the event you’ve already served among the salad, switch the leftovers into hermetic containers. You’ll be able to hold these within the fridge for 1-2 days.
A colorful mixed salad with various greens, nuts, cheese, and tomatoes served in a large green dish with wooden serving utensils.A colorful mixed salad with various greens, nuts, cheese, and tomatoes served in a large green dish with wooden serving utensils.

What to Serve with Make-Forward Taco Salad

This scrumptious taco salad recipe has sufficient protein and veggies to be a fundamental dish however will also be served in smaller parts as a aspect. 

It might style improbable with chips and Do-it-yourself Guacamole or some scrumptious Grilled Mexican Avenue Corn. And for my vegetarian associates, these Vegetarian Mexican Potato Skins would make an important addition to your taco Tuesday dinner.

A colorful taco salad with lettuce, tomatoes, ground beef, cheese, and black beans served in a rectangular dish with wooden serving utensils.

Make-Forward Taco Salad Recipe

This make-ahead taco salad makes meal prep a breeze! Merely assemble the salad, refrigerate, and tip it the other way up whenever you’re able to eat for completely blended bites each time.

Prep:25 minutes

Prepare dinner:7 minutes

Whole:32 minutes

Fats 30

Carbs 24

Protein 19

Elements

  • 1 lb. floor beef
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 cup creamy cilantro dressing we used Dealer Joe’s model*
  • ½ small purple onion thinly sliced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 15 oz. canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 10 oz. frozen corn thawed
  • 2 oz. canned jalapenos or inexperienced chiles drained
  • 1 cup thick-cut shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • ½ cup chopped contemporary cilantro
  • ½ cup tortilla strips

Directions 

  • Warmth a big skillet over medium/excessive warmth. Add the bottom beef and break it up with a spatula. Prepare dinner the meat down for 3-4 minutes, then add the taco seasoning and a pair of tablespoons of water. Proceed to cook dinner the meat till fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes.

  • Take away the meat from warmth and switch it to a plate to chill. You don’t want so as to add the meat to the salad whereas heat, so make sure the meat cools fully.

  • Assemble the salad in a big salad bowl with a canopy. Add the dressing to the underside of the bowl. Subsequent (on this order), add the purple onion, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, floor beef, romaine, cilantro, and tortilla strips. Cowl and refrigerate till able to eat.

  • When able to serve, take away the quilt from the bowl and shortly flip the salad on high of a big salad platter or bowl. Toss and serve instantly.

Suggestions & Notes

  • Be at liberty to make a home made dressing. This avocado cilantro dressing is ideal for this salad.
  • We used floor beef, however be happy to make use of floor turkey, rooster, or a veggie floor.
  • This recipe has been examined with each queso fresco and cheddar cheese. Use whichever cheese you favor.
  • If you’d like your salad to be spicy, use canned jalapeños. In the event you’d like a extra delicate taste, use canned chilis.

Diet information

Energy: 438kcal Carbohydrates: 24g Protein: 19g Fats: 30g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 3g

Images: photographs taken on this submit are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.