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This ground beef taco salad is filling, easy to make, and so tasty! Made with a creamy cilantro lime dressing, and needs only 30 minutes to put together. Perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep, and ideal for taking to work for lunch the next day!
If you love to meal prep, then check out my top picks for easy meal prep recipes.
Say goodbye to takeout and say hello to this homemade beef taco salad that is much lighter than what you would buy at your favorite restaurant, with the same great taste! Made with lean ground beef, corn, beans, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and tossed in with a delicious creamy cilantro lime dressing.
Easy to make, filling, and so delicious. Enjoy over lunch, dinner, or pack it up for lunch the next day! Don’t like beef? Additionally, for an even lighter option, consider swapping the beef with ground turkey or making it vegetarian by omitting the meat and using tofu instead.
Recipe Overview
Why you should make this taco salad
- Easy! Seriously, it only needs cooking the beef, making the dressing, and setting everything up.
- Delicious: This healthy taco salad is seriously so good and filling.
Ingredients you will need
Below is a list of ingredients you will need to make this salad, and what you can substitute the ingredients with. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Olive Oil: You can use avocado oil to cook the beef with
- Ground Beef: Ground turkey can be used as well
- Bone Broth: Beef broth or vegetable broth will work
- Taco Seasoning: If you don’t have any, you can make your own. Check out my homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Romaine Lettuce: or greens of your choice.
- Tomatoes: I prefer using cherry tomatoes, but any other type will work.
- Red Onion: or white sweet onion.
- Avocado: firm but ripe.
- Shredded Cheese Blend: any kind you like.
- Frozen Corn: canned also works.
- Black Beans: or pinto beans
- Optional for toppings: tortilla chips strips.
- Yogurt: I used Greek
- Lime or lemons
- Fresh Cilantro
- Salt and Pepper
How to make Beef Taco Salad
- First, cook the ground beef: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and mix well breaking it apart with a wooden spoon to crumble. Cook until browned about 5-7 minutes. Once browned, sprinkle with the taco seasoning , add the broth, and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature.
- Next, cut up veggies: Meanwhile, tear the lettuce into large pieces and dice the tomatoes and avocados into 1-inch pieces.
- Combine veggies in a bowl: Next, in a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, onion, avocado, cheese, corn, black beans, and crushed tortillas if using.
- Make the dressing: In another small mixing bowl, whisk together all the creamy dressing ingredients.
- Add beef to the taco salad: Add the chilled cooked beef to the salad and drizzle dressing on top. Finally, prior to eating toss well and enjoy!
Notes and Tips
- Nutrition facts do not include tortilla chips
- Serving size- one bowl
- Use ground turkey or tofu in place of ground beef
- Dairy-free yogurt in place of Greek yogurt
Common Questions
Place leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can swap the beef with tofu or skip it altogether and add roasted veggies.
No. I do not recommend freezing leftovers.
In place of the ground beef, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken.
You may also like
- Viral Carrot Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Mango Bean Salad
- Mixed Berry Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Ground Beef Bowl
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Ground Beef Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, I used 90% lean
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup bone broth , or water
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and diced
- 1 cup Low-fat Mexican shredded cheese blend
- 3/4 cup corn, I used frozen, fresh may be substituted
- 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Optional:
- 1 cup Corn tortilla chips, crushed
Creamy Dressing:
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- juice & zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
- 2/3 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/3 teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- First, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 pound ground beef and mix well, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon to crumble. Cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Once browned, sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons low-sodium taco seasoning, 1/4 cup bone broth , and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, tear the 4 cups romaine lettuce into large pieces and dice the 2 cups cherry tomatoes and 1 medium ripe avocado into 1-inch pieces.
- Next, in a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, 1/2 medium red onion, avocado, 1 cup Low-fat Mexican shredded cheese blend, 3/4 cup corn, 3/4 cup canned black beans, and 1 cup Corn tortilla chips if using.
- In another small mixing bowl, whisk together all the creamy dressing ingredients. (2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, juice & zest of 1 lime, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, 2/3 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/3 teaspoon ground pepper)
- Add the chilled cooked beef to the salad and drizzle dressing on top.
- Prior to eating toss well and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include tortilla chips
- Serving size- one bowl
- Use ground turkey or tofu in place of ground beef
- Frozen, canned, or fresh corn
- black beans or any other beans of choice
- Avocado oil in place of olive oil
- Dairy-free yogurt in place of Greek yogurt
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
When does the Bone broth go in? The recipe doesn’t say where to use it, although it’s listed in the ingredients.
Hi. I fixed it. Its in step 3 with the beef after you add the taco seasoning.
This salad was delicious and filling. I especially loved the dressing and the the spices on the turkey. I have mad ethos twice in one week because it was so good. I highly recommend it! 🙂