Beef Taco Salad

Beef taco salad is a delicious and simple family favorite, perfect for summer evenings! Packed with your favorite taco essentials like beans, corn, avocado, and fresh cilantro, it’s bursting with flavor and sure to become a staple dish!

Love easy summer salads? Try Mouthwatering Strawberry Spinach Salad, Honey Lime Poppy Seed Fruit Salad, Best Ever Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon, BLT Tortellini Pasta Salad, or this Classic Potato Salad Recipe.

Ground Beef Taco Salad Ingredients

Don’t let the long list of ingredients worry you. This recipe really does come together so quickly! Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

Ground Beef

• Olive Oil: Provides richness and helps distribute the heat while cooking.
• Red Onion: Adds a kick of fresh flavor.
• Lean Ground Beef: Acts as the protein for the taco salad.
• Garlic: Enhances the overall flavor of the beef.
• Water: Helps incorporate the seasoning throughout the beef.
• Taco Seasoning: Gives the beef mixture all the delicious taco flavoring.

Salad

• Lettuce: Provides a fresh base for the salad and a crisp texture.
• Red Onion: Adds a bright, sharp flavor that enhances the overall flavor profile.
• Tomatoes: Gives the salad a pop of color and a burst of sweet acidic flavor.
• Corn: Complements the other ingredients with its sweet flavor.
• Black Beans: Provide protein, fiber, and a hearty texture.
• Avocado: Adds a creamy, buttery texture and provides healthy fats. It also helps to cool down the heat if you’ve added hot sauce or if you used spicy taco seasoning.
• Fresh Cilantro: Offers a bright herbal note that complements the other flavors in the beef taco salad.
• Tortilla Strips: Gives the salad a nice crunchy texture.
• Salt & Pepper: Enhances all of the other flavors in the salad.

Taco Salad Dressing

• Sour Cream: Provides the base of the sauce. It gives it a creamy, tangy flavor.
• Milk: Helps to thin out the sour cream, making it smoother and easier to stir into the salad.
• Minced Cilantro: Gives the dressing a bright, citrusy flavor.
• Lime Juice: Adds a zest and acidity that balances out the creaminess of the sour cream.
• Taco Seasoning: Provides an infusion of spices and flavors.
• Salt & Pepper: Enhances the flavor of all the other ingredients.

How to Make This Easy Taco Salad Recipe

I love how this beef taco salad recipe lets me multitask in the kitchen. While the onions are sizzling away, I can chop up my veggies; and as the meat cools, I whip up the dressing. It all comes together so smoothly that by the time everything’s prepped and cooked, I’m already looking forward to enjoying it!

1. Saute: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, and saute the onion until translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until mostly browned. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
2. Season the meat: Add the water and taco seasoning to the pan and coat the beef evenly with the seasoning. Cook until the water has evaporated and all the beef is coated in seasoning and cooked through. Remove from heat and allow the beef to cool a bit.
3. Make the salad: While the beef is cooling, add the salad ingredients to a large bowl and then make the taco salad dressing.
4. Whisk: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, cilantro, lime juice, taco seasoning, and salt and pepper.
5. Dress and serve: Once the beef has cooled, top the salad with the beef and dressing, toss to coat everything evenly, and serve fresh!