- Calories
- 400
- Protein
- 34g
- Fiber
- 10g
- Sat. fat
- 5g
- Sodium
- 560mg
- Added sugar
- 3g
What this recipe does for you.
Taco salad that is crunchy and filling instead of drowning in a greasy bowl: seasoned lean beef or turkey, black beans, corn and crisp lettuce with a creamy yogurt-lime dressing instead of heavy ones. 34g protein.
Why this works
Every recipe on this site ships with an explanation of the technique decisions, why sear then braise, why the acid goes in at the end, why the fat renders before the aromatics. The method below is those decisions, in order.
Ingredients
Serves 4- 1 lblean ground beef · 90 percent lean, or ground turkey
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspchili powder
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspgarlic powder
- 1 canblack beans · 15 oz, drained
- 1 cupcorn · fresh, tinned or thawed
- 1 large headromaine or cos lettuce · chopped
- 1 cupcherry tomatoes · halved
- 1avocado · diced
- 1/2 cupplain Greek yogurt
- 1lime · juiced
Method
Make your own taco seasoning
Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic powder beat the sachet, which is mostly salt, cornstarch and anti-caking agents. You control the salt and get fresher, brighter spice. Toast the spices with the meat so they bloom.
Brown the meat hard and drain it
Press lean beef or turkey into a hot pan and let it brown before breaking it up, then drain any excess fat. Browning is where the flavour is, and draining keeps the salad from going greasy. Lean meat plus a hard sear is the balance you want.
Beans and corn for fibre and substance
Black beans and corn stretch the meat, add ten grams of fibre and make the salad genuinely filling rather than a pile of leaves. Char the corn in a dry pan for a minute for a smoky-sweet edge that lifts the whole bowl.
Yogurt-lime dressing instead of heavy ones
Whisk Greek yogurt with lime juice, a little of the taco spice and salt for a creamy, tangy dressing that adds protein rather than a load of fat. It stands in for both sour cream and a bottled ranch-style dressing in one.
Keep the lettuce crisp and cold
Use crunchy romaine or cos, washed and dried well, and keep it cold until you build the bowl. The contrast of cold crisp lettuce against warm spiced meat is the whole appeal, so do not let warm ingredients wilt it in advance.
Build in layers and add crunch last
Lettuce, warm meat, beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, then the dressing. For the crunch that a taco salad wants without a deep-fried shell, add a small handful of crushed baked tortilla chips or toasted pepitas at the very end so they stay crisp.
Variations
Substitutions and adaptations land with the photography shoot. The method holds across most reasonable swaps.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days, sealed. Freezer: up to 3 months. Reheat covered to retain moisture.
Frequently asked
- How do I keep taco salad from being greasy?
- Use lean ground beef or turkey, brown it hard and drain off the rendered fat, and swap heavy dressings and sour cream for a yogurt-lime dressing. The greasiness in most taco salads comes from fatty meat and a fried shell, both of which you can skip without losing the flavour.
- Beef or turkey?
- Both work well. Lean ground beef has a richer flavour, while ground turkey is leaner and takes the spices happily. Whichever you choose, season it well and brown it hard, since the meat carries most of the flavour of the bowl.
- How do I make it gluten-free?
- Make your own spice blend with pure spices, check your beans and any tortilla chips are gluten-free, and the salad is naturally gluten-free. Most cross-contamination risk hides in pre-made taco seasoning, which is why the homemade blend is worth it.
- Can I meal prep it?
- Yes, with a little assembly discipline. Store the seasoned meat, beans and corn together, the chopped lettuce separately, and the dressing in its own pot. Combine at lunch so the lettuce stays crisp and the avocado goes on fresh.
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