This wholesome Taco Salad recipe is all the pieces you like about taco night time, reworked right into a healthful bundle you’ll be able to really feel nice devouring for nutritious lunches and dinners.
From the lean floor turkey, to the Southwest spices, to the entire finest taco fixin’s, this Mexican-inspired recipe has all of it.
Adios wimpy salads.
This can be a taco salad recipe that satisfies.
- It’s excessive in protein and fiber packs a wide selection of taco toppings like cheese, avocado, corn, and beans.
- This healthful salad is a basic taco achieved lighter so you’ll be able to take pleasure in it extra typically.
- Along with its nutritious ingredient lineup and unbelievable taste, the elements of this wholesome taco salad lasts nicely within the fridge, making it very best for meal prep.
- It’s additionally far simpler to eat than common tacos. Who has time for shells? Simply toss all the pieces right into a bowl and also you’re able to chow down!
Have you ever ever requested your self if taco salad will be wholesome?
This taco salad shouts a powerful YES!
Restaurant vs Home made Taco Salad
Regardless of their notion as being “wholesome” choices, restaurant taco salads are deceptively unhealthy. Most restaurant variations:
- Are doused in heavy, high-calorie dressings
- Include a scant variety of healthful greens
- Overdo it on the high-fat toppings like bitter cream and cheese
- Are sometimes served in a deep-fried taco shell (scrumptious however harmful).
Making your personal taco salad at residence means which you can management the substances and parts to make it as healthful as you select.
5 Star Evaluation
“Love this taco salad! The seasoning is low in salt which I used to be on the lookout for and so yummy and tremendous straightforward to make for a busy mama!!”
— Whitney —
Learn how to Make Taco Salad
Whether or not you’re trying so as to add extra wholesome recipes to your repertoire or simply love tacos (or each!), this wholesome taco salad will shortly turn out to be a favourite.
The Substances
- Flour Tortillas. One of many secrets and techniques to creating a very nice taco salad is including crunch. Rather than fried chips, I take advantage of oven-baked strips of tortillas. It solely takes a couple of minutes to toss the tortilla strips into the oven, and the feel they add is totally well worth the small effort.
- Spices. Skip the taco seasoning packets, that are normally excessive in sodium. As an alternative, mix salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder to season the bottom turkey meat.
- Floor Turkey. To create a lower-calorie taco salad recipe that also packs restaurant-worthy satisfaction, I used floor turkey. It’s equally as scrumptious right here as floor beef!
- Romaine Lettuce. The crisp and recent base for our salad. Romaine lettuce is excessive in minerals and low in energy, making it very best for this slimmed-down salad.
- Black Beans. I really like including black beans to this salad for protein and fiber. (My Prompt Pot Black Beans can be good right here; canned work too after all.)
- Corn. I used handy canned Mexican-style corn and liked the extra flavors it added to the salad.
- Tomatoes. A handful of cherry tomatoes added scrumptious bursts of taste.
- Avocado. The creamy, nutrient-packed ingredient that all of us love! Avocado provides oodles of nutritional vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Cilantro + Inexperienced Onions. For a little bit of chew and added taste.
- Cheddar Cheese. I went lighter on the cheese amount, so utilizing an extra-sharp cheddar helps be sure you can nonetheless style it in each chew.
- Greek Yogurt + Salsa. So easy however so delish! To make the BEST wholesome taco salad dressing, merely combine collectively your favourite salsa with plain nonfat Greek yogurt.
Further Toppings
Something you like in your tacos is truthful sport!
- My favourite toppings are tortilla strips and extra avocado, or jalapeño.
- To combine it up, strive chopped pink onion (or higher but, Pickled Onions), queso fresco, Home made Guacamole, or toasted pumpkin seeds.
The Instructions
- Bake the tortilla strips.
- Brown the turkey with the spices. Stir collectively dressing substances.
- Place the romaine in a serving bowl, add the salad substances, and high with the dressing. Toss to mix, sprinkle with tortilla strips, and serve. ENJOY!
Storage Suggestions
- To Retailer. As soon as assembled and dressed, the salad is finest eaten inside a number of hours of serving. Nevertheless, the deconstructed parts of this salad could also be saved individually in hermetic containers for 2-4 days within the fridge.
- To Reheat. Leftovers of the seasoned floor turkey could also be warmed within the microwave, in a coated container, till steaming.
- To Make Forward. Chop the veggies and cook dinner the turkey upfront, storing them individually within the fridge. You may shortly assemble particular person parts and add another toppings you want all through the week.
Meal Prep Tip
In case your plan is to prep this salad for lunches all through the week, I like to recommend storing the salad in divided meal prep containers after which tossing all the pieces along with the dressing when able to serve.
Leftover Concepts
One of the best half about leftover taco salad topping is you’ll be able to simply change gears and make different dishes like tacos, quesadillas, or sport day-worthy nachos.
What to Serve with Taco Salad
Beneficial Instruments to Make this Recipe
- Baking Sheets. These are a useful instrument to your kitchen. I take advantage of them to bake up the tortilla strips on this recipe.
- Measuring Cups. A really perfect option to measure AND combine your substances for salad dressing, with out getting one other bowl soiled. Plus, they will go within the microwave and dishwasher.
- Skillet. For cooking up all of that completely seasoned floor turkey.
The Finest Knife Set
This Zwilling 19-piece knife set is made with high quality, laser-cut metal and ergonomic handles. I’ve by no means wished for a distinct knife set.
So pour your self a Skinny Margarita as a result of tonight is taco (salad) night time!
Steadily Requested Questions
It may be. If you happen to’d like to reduce your carbohydrates and nonetheless take pleasure in a filling, wholesome taco salad I might counsel omitting or limiting the crispy tortilla strips, black beans to knock off essentially the most carbs from this recipe.
Sometimes the greens, greens, and different toppings are served chilly. Nevertheless, most taco salad recipes, together with this one, will serve the meat heat over high of the salad.
It may be. To make this a gluten-free taco salad, go for corn tortillas moderately than flour tortillas (or skip them fully). If you’re particularly delicate to gluten examine your labels to make sure all substances have been processed in a gluten free licensed facility to keep away from cross-contamination.
For the taco salad:
- 2 fajita-size flour tortillas (or swap for corn tortillas to make gluten free)
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 pound 93% lean floor turkey
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon floor cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 head romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 1 can reduced-sodium black beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
- 1 can Mexican-style corn (11 ounces), drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium ripe avocado peeled, pitted, and diced
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup inexperienced onions thinly sliced
For the salsa yogurt dressing:
- 1/4 cup salsa (store-bought or home made)
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
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Place a rack within the middle of your oven, and preheat the oven to 425 levels F. Coat a big rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
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Stack the tortillas and reduce them in half, then slice every half into 1/2-inch strips. Scatter the strips in the course of the ready baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat, then unfold them right into a single layer.
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Bake till golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes, turning midway by way of. Put aside to chill.
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In the meantime, in a big, nonstick skillet, warmth the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high. Add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Break up the meat and stir with a spoon till it’s cooked by way of; about 5 minutes.
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In a small bowl, stir collectively the salsa and Greek yogurt to make the dressing.
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Place the romaine in a big serving bowl. High with 1/4 cup of the salsa-yogurt combination, the turkey, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, cheese, and inexperienced onions. Toss flippantly to mix, then sprinkle the tortilla strips excessive. Serve instantly with remaining salsa-yogurt dressing as desired.
- GLUTEN FREE OPTION: To make the recipe gluten free, swap corn tortillas instead of the flour tortillas. Examine the baking time a couple of minutes early, because the corn tortillas could crisp extra shortly.
- MAKE AHEAD: Retailer the cooked floor turkey within the fridge for as much as 4 days, the corn and black beans in a separate container for as much as 4 days, the dressing in a container for as much as 4 days, and the chopped tomatoes in a container for as much as 3 days. Washed, chopped lettuce can be saved within the crisper drawer for two to three days. Heat the turkey and assemble the salad simply earlier than serving.
- TO STORE: As soon as assembled and dressed, the salad is finest eaten inside a number of hours of serving. Nevertheless, the deconstructed parts of this salad could also be saved individually in hermetic containers for 2-4 days within the fridge.
Serving: 1(of 4) with out dressingEnergy: 596kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 40gFats: 23gSaturated Fats: 5gPolyunsaturated Fats: 5gMonounsaturated Fats: 11gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 87mgPotassium: 1699mgFiber: 18gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 15204IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 236mgIron: 8mg
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