Layered Taco Salad
Easy, cheesy, oh-so-yummy Layered Taco Salad is a budget-friendly recipe is filled with all the taco goodness your family craves!
Fresh, scrumptious Layered Taco Salad is the best weeknight Mexican dinner recipe! Seasoned ground beef and black beans, salsa, sour cream, and cheddar cheese, get topped with your favorite taco toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and black olives. Simple and so satisfying!
A Twist on Traditional Tacos
Next to juicy cheeseburgers, beef tacos just might be the second most popular food in the U.S.! And why not? Savory, spicy, seasoned goodness served with a crunchy corn shell or a soft flour tortilla.
This absolutely scrumptious Layered Taco Salad is a spin on that classic! You get all the ingredients of a great taco, but layered like a Mexican lasagna or a Creamy Taco Dip – and its served in one pan! Add crispy tortillas chips or a homemade tortilla bowl and WOW! Winner, winner, Taco Dinner!
Other Recipes to Serve with Taco Salad
- Cheesy Mexican Rice Bites are tasty, mouthwatering nibbles you can’t stop popping into your mouth! They’re SO GOOD!
- Creamy Mexican Street Corn Dip is everything you want in a taco side dish! Served with chips, it’s rich and delicious either hot or cold!
Ingredients
Protein: Lean ground beef and black beans are economical and still give this taco salad a ton of tasty protein!
Salad: Iceberg lettuce is my choice for its crispiness (but any kind of lettuce you prefer will work) to top off this recipe for a super yummy, upside-down taco salad!
Fillings & Toppings: The protein in this salad is blended with sour cream, cheese (Tex-Mex or cheddar), chopped tomatoes, jalapeno rings, and black olives.
Seasoning: Salsa and your favorite taco seasoning add the taco flavor to this recipe!
How to Make Layered Taco Salad
STEP ONE: Mix the salsa and sour cream together in a medium bowl until they’re evenly combined. Then set that aside for now.
STEP TWO: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fully browned, being sure to break up the meat as it cooks. Then, drain most of the fat from the pan. Add a cup of water and the taco seasoning to the meat and stir to combine. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Then lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
STEP THREE: Add the taco meat to a 9×13 casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Top the taco meat with the other ingredients in this order – cheese, black beans, salsa/sour cream mixture, and chopped lettuce. Top the Layered Taco Salad with tomatoes, jalapenos, and black olives. (You can add or remove toppings to your taste.)
STEP FOUR: Scoop the taco salad onto plates and serve with tortilla chips.
Tips for Success
- Cilantro, avocado, corn, crumbled Fritos, diced green chilies, and green onions would all be delicious as toppings for this salad as well.
- A squeeze of lime juice over the top of the taco salad adds a nice, fresh pop of flavor!
- For a healthier version, you can substitute non-fat plain Greek yogurt for some or all of the sour cream.
- Mix finely chopped green onions and cilantro into the lettuce for a serious burst of amazing summer salad flavor!
What Goes Well with Taco Salad?
All the classic Mexican side dishes are perfect for taco salad! Fresh corn on the cob or elote (street corn) are always crowd-pleasers! Fruit salads, refried beans, or rice (Mexican or cilantro lime) round out every taco meal nicely. And don’t forget simple tortilla chips with guacamole or queso dip – amazing!
How Do I Make My Own Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Bowls?
Nothing makes taco salad better than serving it with fresh, crispy tortilla chips or a warm tortilla bowl! Making these at home is super easy, too! Simply preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While the oven is heating up, brush soft tortilla shells with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
For chips, simply slice the tortillas into wedges with a pizza cutter and place them onto a sheet pan, being careful not to overlap. For bowls, place full individual tortillas inside oven-safe bowls (gently curling the edges for a pretty finished shell). Bake for 5 – 7 minutes (or until golden brown). Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan or individual bowls. Enjoy!
Other Terrific Taco Recipes
- Taco Seasoning
- Taco Fry Bread
- Crescent Roll Taco Ring
- Instant Pot Taco Soup
- Ground Beef Taco Dip
- Taco Pizza
Layered Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cups salsa
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 2 ounces taco seasoning (2 packets)
- 2 ½ cups Colby jack cheese shredded
- 31 ounces canned black beans rinsed and drained (2 cans)
- ½ head iceberg lettuce shredded of chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 jalapenos sliced
- Canned sliced black olives drained
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream and salsa until well combined. Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 8-12 minutes until browned and cooked through. Be sure to break up the meat as it cooks.
- Drain any excess grease from the pan, and return it to the store. Reduce the heat to medium and add the water and taco seasoning to the meat. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Transfer the taco meat to a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Then top the meat with a layer of shredded cheese, black beans, sour cream/salsa mixture, and finally lettuce.
- To garnish the taco salad, top the lettuce with tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, and black olives (or use whichever toppings you prefer).
- Spoon portions onto plates and serve with tortilla chips or Fritos.
