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Our easy Taco Salad recipe is ready in under 30 minutes with seasoned ground beef, fresh veggies, crunchy tortilla bowls, and all your favorite toppings. It's a healthy, customizable dinner that's perfect for busy weeknights!

Taco Salad Perfection

This whole taco salad dinner comes together quickly and every element can be prepped ahead of time for an extra quick dinner. You could even double or triple the meat/bean mixture and freeze it for a freezer meal another day. It takes just minutes to make your own crispy tortilla bowl for the taco salad base (if you're feeling “extra” use our homemade flour tortillas!), but it elevates your Taco salad so much. My kids are happy because they can customize theirs with whatever toppings they like, and this is an all-around dinner “win”.
Try more of my 30-minute meals, like Dumpling Soup, Applebee's Salad, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, Instant Pot Spaghetti, Chicken Avocado Wrap, and Mongolian Noodles!
How to make Taco Salad:
Cook Meat and Chop Veggies: Brown the ground beef, remove grease, and add taco seasoning. Stir in black beans and corn. Shred the cheese and chop the lettuce, tomatoes, and any other veggies.
Make Baked Tortilla Bowl (optional): Follow the instructions in my recipe card if you'd like to serve your salad in a crispy tortilla bowl (my favorite!). But you can just serve it in a bowl or on a plate.
Serve: Add lettuce in a tortilla bowl or on a plate. Scoop on meat mixture, veggies, a sprinkle with cheese, and a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, and a spoonful of salsa. Sprinkle with cilantro on top. If you want a full feast, serve with Horchata, Mexican Rice, Tres Leches Cake, or Sopaipillas!

Healthy Taco Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef, , or ground turkey
- 2 Tablespoons Taco seasoning , , or 1 packet
- ½ cup water
- 1 can black beans, , drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn , (canned or frozen)
- 1 head romaine lettuce, , chopped
- 6 (8 inch) flour tortillas, , or 1 bag tortilla chips
Topping options:
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, , halved
- ½ cup Sliced Olives
- ½ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup chopped red or green onion
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole, , or chopped avocado
Instructions
- Meat Mixture: Add ground beef to a skillet over medium heat. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon into small pieces, until cooked through. Remove grease. Add taco seasoning and water and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in black beans and corn.1 lb lean ground beef, 2 Tablespoons Taco seasoning, ½ cup water, 1 can black beans, 1 cup corn
- Assemble: Add baked tortilla shell (recipe follows) or tortilla chips to the bottom of a shallow bowl. Top with a handful of lettuce, then taco meat and desired toppings. Add salsa, sour cream and guacamole (or avocado) on top.1 head romaine lettuce, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, ½ cup Sliced Olives, ½ cup shredded cheese, ¼ cup chopped red or green onion, ½ cup chopped cilantro
How to Make Baked Tortilla Bowls:
- Brush a thin layer of canola or vegetable oil on both sides of 8” flour tortillas. Place a 4’’ ramekin or similar size oven-safe bowl, face down, on a cookie sheet. Lay a tortilla over it. Place a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on top of the tortilla and press down, scrunching the foil and tortilla around the ramekin until it’s shaped like a tortilla bowl (think basket-style coffee filter).6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
- Now flip the whole thing over so it’s open end up. Repeat for however many tortilla bowls you’re going to need (and an extra or two in case one breaks!).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 5 minutes. Take cookie sheet out of oven, use tongs to carefully remove each ramekin and then return the tray to the oven to cook for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from oven, carefully lift each shell out of the foil and place bottom up, foil down on the cookie sheet. Gently secure the rim of the tortilla inside the foil so it doesn't burn. Return to oven to cook for 7-10 more minutes or until crisp and golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This post was originally published on June 2020. Updated January 2022 and January 2024 and January 2026.



Great
I am trying this tonight. I was wondering if i can just cook the bowls without the ramekins as I don’t have enough.
You can use any oven safe bowl or even ball up some aluminum foil! Hope you LOVE them!
-Stacy
I ended up using sine shorter ones too and they worked. Put ones without ramekins in between. Fyi it was yummy.
Thank you!
8/26/2024 LOVED it. We ate it with TOSTITOS Lime tortilla chips. *****