Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
2 tbsp. tomato paste
Vegetable oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4" strips
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. shredded cheddar
1 c. Pico de Gallo
Sour cream
1/4 c. freshly chopped cilantro
Preparation
Step 1In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown beef, breaking up meat into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and add taco seasoning, 2 tablespoons water, and tomato paste. Cook through, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.Step 2In a sauté pan, add about 1/2" of vegetable oil. Heat until hot but not smoking, then fry tortilla strips until golden brown. Transfer strips to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt just after removing from hot oil.Step 3Assemble salad: In four bowls, layer romaine, tomatoes, black beans, and warm taco meat. Top with cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream, then garnish with cilantro and crisp tortilla strips.
The Base Since this salad has some rather hefty toppers, we prefer a sturdy, crunchy green for our base. Romaine or iceberg lettuce are the obvious choices, but other hearty greens like endive or radicchio would work just as well. The Meat Ground beef is the classic, but if you’re looking for something lighter, ground chicken or turkey would be just as good. Alternatively, if you’ve got some rotisserie chicken on hand (or perhaps some leftover roasted chicken) you could shred it and toss it with some taco seasoning instead. Even grilled shrimp could work here! The Veggies Again, we stuck with the most classic veggie choices. That doesn’t mean you can’t improvise and clean out your crisper drawer! Bell peppers, pickled jalapeños, fresh or frozen corn, or chopped red onion would all be great additions. At the end of the day, this is a salad so the more veggies, the merrier! The Crunch-Factor We happen to think the best part of this salad is the crunchy fried corn tortillas on top. If you prefer flour tortillas, you can totally use those instead! If you want to go a healthier route, toasted pumpkin seeds would be a delicious substitute. (Although, can you call it a taco salad if it doesn’t have chips?) Or, if you’re lazy (we don’t judge) you can use Fritos! Can This Be Vegetarian? Absolutely! Sub the ground beef for sliced mushrooms or your favorite plant-based ground meat alternative. Wanna make it vegan? Ditch the sour cream and replace the cheddar cheese with one of our favorite vegan cheeses. Should It Be Served Cold Or Hot? This is kind of up to you! If the beef is still warm it might cause some wiltage in the lettuce but the contrast between the cold, crisp lettuce and the warm, tender beef is kind of great if you ask us. If not you can cook the beef and chill it in the fridge until you’re ready for serving. What can we serve this with? Though this salad can be a whole meal onto itself you could pair it with some rice or some fresh guacamole to scoop on top. Have you made this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments below!