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These easy Taco Salad Bowls are made with seasoned ground beef and your favorite toppings all on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce. Top these healthy salads with a creamy avocado dressing. They only take 30 minutes to make and are great for meal prep!
Change it up and instead of taco salad bowls, make my ground beef tacos!
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Taco night is a dinner I look forward to every week! It satisfies my craving for southwest and Mexican food and there’s so many options when it comes to fillings and topping. Lately I’ve been OBSESSED with these easy and flavorful taco salad bowls and here’s why:
Customizable toppings – Anything goes with these taco bowls! Use the taco toppings you like best or what you have available in your fridge.
Avocado dressing – This avocado dressing is incredible! It’s packed with healthy fats from the avocado and a good dose of protein in the Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt also adds both creaminess and tang to the dressing.
I’ve also found that the yogurt along with the lime juice helps keep the dressing from oxidizing and turning brown as quickly. I had mine in the fridge for several days and it remained green the whole time.
Meal prep – If you meal prep, the ground beef taco meat will keep all week. The topping can be chopped and prepped at the beginning of the week so all you have to do is quickly assemble the salad.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – Use lean ground beef so the taco meat isn’t too greasy. I use 90% lean 10% fat.
- Chili powder, ground cumin, and garlic powder – The homemade taco seasoning blend.
- Yellow onion – White onion can also be used.
- Green chiles – Canned diced green chiles as great flavor to the taco meat. Use mild or hot depending on how spicy you want it.
- Tomatoes and black olives
- Romaine Lettuce – The base of the taco salad bowls. Romaine has a great crunch and holds up well with all the toppings. Iceberg lettuce can also be used.
- Corn – I use frozen fire roasted corn for added flavor. If fresh corn is in season, grilling it is a great option.
- Queso fresco – queso fresco is a crumbly, salty, mild flavored cow’s milk cheese. Similar to feta. Cotija is another great Mexican cheese to use.
- Tortilla strips or crushed chips – Use your favorite brand of chips and if you want to make your baked tortilla stips, see how I did it in this Southwest chicken salad. You can use corn or flour tortillas.
- Avocado – The avocado needs to be ripe so it blends easily into the dressing.
- Cilantro – Commonly used in Mexican cooking. Full of fresh flavor and pairs well with the avocado and lime in the dressing.
- Lime – Tart, citrusy and balances the rich creamy flavor of avocado dressing.
- Plain Greek yogurt – Low-fat or full fat will give you the creamiest consistency and richest flavor for the dressing. Greek yogurt is high in protein, which helps to keep you full longer, and it packs in essential nutrients. Six ounces of Greek yogurt generally contains 14–17 grams of protein. Feel free to add an extra dollop to the taco salad bowls in place of sour cream as well.
How to Make Taco Salad Bowls
Avocado Dressing – Add the avocado, Greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, garlic powder and salt to a high speed blender or food processor. There’s no need to remove the cilantro stems or chop the avocado.
Purée the dressing until it’s smooth. If it’s too thick, add water or milk a tablespoon at a time to help thin the dressing. The consistency is up to you. I prefer the dressing thicker so I dollop it on rather than pour.
Taco Meat – Add a little olive oil to a large skillet and dump in the ground beef and diced onion. Use a wooden spoon or ground meat chopper to crumble the meat. Sprinkle in the dried spices, salt, pepper, cilantro and diced green chiles.
Stir everything together and add in 2-3 tablespoons of water to help form a sauce for the taco meat. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until the sauce thicken slightly. Beef should be cooked to 160° F.
Assembling the Salad Bowls – Add some of the chopped romaine lettuce to a bowl. Spoon on taco meat then top with the taco toppings. Finish off the salad with the avocado dressing and crispy tortilla strips.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute ground beef with ground turkey or chicken. If you’re vegetarian try making the sofritas from this sofritas tacos recipe.
- Queso fresco can be replaced with cotija cheese, cheddar, pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- Instead of taco salad turn these into rice bowls or quinoa bowls.
- Add black beans or pinto beans.
- Serve them in a crispy tortilla bowls. What’s better than being able to eat the bowl too!
Make ahead and storage
These taco salad bowls are great to make at the beginning of the week to have on hand for a quick dinner or make ahead lunches if you meal prep. The taco meat can be made at the beginning of the week and used throughout. You can even freeze the taco meat for a later date.
All of the toppings can be prepped ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the fridge. You can assemble the salad bowls 1-2 days in advance, but I recommend adding the meat and avocado dressing separately.
I like to warm the taco meat before adding it to the salad for the best flavor and consistency.
Taco Salad Bowls
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Avocado dressing
- 1/2 of an avocado, peeled
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- Juice of a lime
- 1 tablespoon of water or more as needed to thin the dressing
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup defrosted frozen corn
- 4 ounce can sliced black olives
- Crumbled queso fresco, tortilla strips, and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the avocado dressing to a high speed or regular blender and purée until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water or milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Spray a large skillet with cooking spray or add in a little oil. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and then add in the ground beef and onion. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to crumble the beef as it browns. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. Turn the heat down to low and let the taco meat simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- To assemble, fill a bowl with romaine lettuce and top with a portion of the taco meat. Top with corn, tomatoes, olives, queso fresco, and cilantro. Dollop on some of the avocado dressing and finish with tortilla strips or crushed chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Taco Recipes
If you make these Taco Salad Bowls, please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you and do my best to respond to your comments. And if you’re on Instagram tag @reciperunner so I can see your beautiful creations!
