While I don’t claim this is a strictly authentic Mexican recipe, I can promise it’s genuinely delicious. If you’re looking for a quick weekday dinner or a meal that can feed a large group, this easy taco salad is a total crowd-pleaser.
It was a staple in my house growing up, and now it’s a requested favorite for my own kids. The best part? You can have this 30-minute meal on the table faster than you can get through the drive-thru. It’s fresh, filling, and guaranteed to earn a spot in your weekly rotation.
Mom’s Taco Salad
Servings:
A delicious taco-inspired salad that takes less than 30 minutes to make and will be an ongoing favorite for anyone you make it for.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lbs ground meat chicken, beef, turkey, or pork
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 zucchini squash chopped
- 5-6 tbsp taco seasoning
- 10 oz bag romaine lettuce pre-washed and cut
- 1 1/2 cups bell pepper any color, small diced
- 1 1/2 cups cucumber any variety, small diced
- 1-1 1/2 cups tomatoes any variety, quartered
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 small can sliced olives
- 1/2 cup canned black beans drained, rinsed
- 2 cups shredded cheese cheddar, colby, or pepper jack
- 10 oz tortilla chips crushed (Frito’s® brand suggested)
- 1 small handful cilantro chopped (optional)
- 3/4-1 cup thousand island dressing
Directions:
- In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and zucchini and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground meat and taco seasoning and cook until done, stirring around frequently to break up any large bits of meat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except for the thousand island dressing. Toss together evenly. Once the meat has cooled almost to room temperature, add it and the dressing and mix until everything is coated evenly. Serve immediately.
Yum. My aunt passed down a taco salad that is almost identical. But her recipe includes a can of “ranch style” beans. The can with the black label on the shelf. Instead of thousand island, it uses Wishbone Russian dressing. Have it made/had it forever, since it literally feeds 20 people. Looks like I can cut this recipe down more easily, so thank you!
This looks delicious! Do you have any vegetarian dishes that you could share too? My daughter recently cut meat from her diet and I’m struggling to find meals for our family.
I have a few, but most can be adjusted to be vegetarian. To make this salad vegetarian, remove the meat, add one more zucchini and a hand full of chopped mushrooms in place of the meat (cook it the same way). :)
I just had flashbacks to eating this as a child. I am not sure how i forgot about it, but I can’t wait to make it for my family. Its soooo good!
I never would’ve thought to try this with thousand island dressing! I eat a similar one and use Hidden Valleys “Southwest Chipotle” and its amaziinggg! Not spicy at all either ????
I grew up eating a similar version and boy is it delish! The Thousand Island dressing is what makes this recipe!