This healthy Beef Taco Salad is easy to make and packed with flavour. Made with seasoned taco meat, fresh veggies and a creamy, dairy-free, cilantro dressing, it makes a delicious weeknight meal!
Summertime calls for easy dinners that don’t require a ton of time in the kitchen! This homemade taco salad is easy to make, full of flavour and a great one to throw into your dinner rotation. Here are a few reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- Quick and easy. Just cook the beef, chop your veggies and blend the dressing in a food processor or blender.
- Easy to customize. You can swap the ground beef for chicken or turkey and switch up the vegetables or toppings depending on what you like or have on hand!
- Works great for meal prep. Make the ground beef and dressing ahead of time and assemble your salads once you’re ready to eat.
- The most delicious salad dressing. This taco salad is finished with a creamy, tangy and super flavourful dressing made with avocado, cilantro and fresh lime.
Ingredients & substitutions
For the taco salad
- Ground beef: feel free to use ground chicken or turkey if you’d prefer.
- Taco seasoning: to avoid unnecessary ingredients, I recommend making your own taco seasoning over store bought packets. It’s quick to make and uses spices that you likely already have in your pantry!
- Bone broth: if you don’t have beef bone broth, you can use chicken bone broth. Water can also be used.
- Chopped lettuce: romaine, iceberg, green leaf, or butter leaf lettuce all work great.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: for a nice burst of flavour! You could also use chopped Roma tomatoes.
- Black beans: canned beans work great, but if you’d prefer to cook your own from scratch you’ll need 1 1/2 cups worth of cooked beans.
- Pickled red onion: pickled red onions add a really nice pop of colour and flavour. Feel free to omit or use raw red onion or green onion.
- Tortilla chips: for that nice crunch! Serve them whole on the side or break them up and add to the salad.
If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to skip the dressing. Guacamole, salsa, greek yogurt, sour cream and hot sauce would all work great as substitutes.
For the avocado cilantro dressing
- Avocado: the base for our dressing. Make sure that you use a ripe avocado so you get that wonderful creamy texture.
- Fresh cilantro: the star of the show! This adds a ton and flavour and colour.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: adds a little more richness to the dressing.
- Lime: for that nice tang and brightness. Use fresh lime for the best flavour.
- Garlic: adds some bite to the dressing.
- Jalapeno: for a little kick. You can omit this if you don’t like heat.
- Sea salt: the finishing touch!
How to make taco salad
- Cook the meat. In a pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until cooked through. Drain the fat from the beef if needed.
- Season the meat. Add the taco seasoning and bone broth or water and cook for another few minutes.
- Make the avocado cilantro dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional water until you reach your desired consistency. I prefer mine on the thicker side.
- Assemble the salads. Add lettuce to bowls and top with beef, tomato, black beans, and red onion. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!
Is taco salad healthy?
This taco salad is a great option for a healthy meal! Even though the salad is light, it’s balanced with protein, fibre, leafy greens and healthy fats, making it more satisfying and filling.
We’re also using fresh and nourishing ingredients that have plenty of health benefits:
- Ground beef is a high-quality protein that’s also budget-friendly! It’s a good source of energy-producing B vitamins, iron and zinc. If within your budget, choose grass-fed and grass-finished beef for more nutrition benefits.
- Black beans are rich in fibre, which is important for gut health, folate, copper and manganese.
- Avocados are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, fibre, potassium and magnesium.
- Cilantro is great for adding lots of fresh flavour to meals, but it’s also rich in antioxidants, promotes detoxification of heavy metals and can help settle digestive upsets.
How to store
Store your salad ingredients separately and then build your bowls just before eating. Any leftover taco meat can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftover dressing can be stored in a sealed glass jar or container for up to 5 days.
More Mexican-inspired recipes
If you make this Beef Taco Salad, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or tag me on Instagram.
Beef Taco Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning, preferably homemade
- 1/4 cup beef bone broth or water
Salad
- 8-12 cups chopped lettuce
- 1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- Pickled red onion (optional)
- Tortilla chips (optional)
Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, leaves and some stems
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 of a small jalapeño, seeds removed (optional)
- 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Cook the beef: Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and break apart with your spatula or wooden spoon. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain excess fat if needed. Add the taco seasoning and broth or water and stir. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for a few minutes or until liquid is gone. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Make the dressing: Add all ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Assemble the salads: Divide the lettuce into 4 bowls. Top with the beef, tomatoes, black beans and onions. Drizzle with the avocado cilantro dressing and serve with tortilla chips on the side or crushed on top.
