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When you want a hassle-free dinner without sacrificing flavor, this beef taco salad could be a go-to worth keeping in your dinner rotation. It’s a lighter take on taco night that comes together quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
What makes beef taco salad so delicious is its contrasting flavors and textures. You get a warm blend of spicy ground beef and black beans in tomato sauce layered over cool, crisp greens, and creamy avocado-yogurt dressing to balance the heat. Crunchy tortilla chips tie everything together and it’s that mix of textures and flavors that turns this simple salad into a complete dinner.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
GROUND BEEF: Thanks to its rich flavor, ground beef is the traditional choice for a taco salad, but you can opt for ground chicken or ground turkey if you prefer lighter texture and flavor.
AVOCADOS: Hass avocados are our choice as they have a nearly year-round growing season and are usually easy to find. Buy them when they are firm and allow a few days (3 to 5) for them to ripen.
BLACK BEANS: We use low-sodium canned black beans and make sure to rinse and drain them well to remove the starchy liquid.
YOGURT: Plain yogurt adds tangy flavor that contrasts with the richness of the avocado and beef. We don’t recommend using Greek yogurt as the texture is too thick.
Overview
How to Make Beef Taco Salad with Avocado Dressing
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
Making a great taco salad is all about the layering of flavors and texture. Start by browning the ground beef in a skillet. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for a minute before stirring in some tomato sauce, black beans, and some classic taco spices. Let everything simmer together for a bit to develop the flavors.
While the beef simmers, make the avocado-lime dressing. It comes together quickly with mashed avocado, yogurt, lime juice, and a few pantry staples. Once it’s smooth and seasoned to your liking, stir in some chopped cilantro and set it aside.
To compose the salads, start with a base of crisp lettuce on each plate then add sliced onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes, then top with sliced avocado, a generous spoonful of the beef mixture, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Finish with some tortilla chips for crunch and a drizzle of dressing. Serve with lime wedges and extra dressing on the side.
Recipe Shortcuts
If you’re short on time, you can use bagged salad and a store-bought creamy dressing like avocado or cilantro-lime. Just add a squeeze of fresh lime to make it taste more like homemade.
More Delicious Main Dish Salads
Main dish salads are a great go-to when you want something fresh, filling, and fast, with minimal cleanup. Here are a few to keep in your rotation:
- Greek Spinach and Quinoa Salad – A hearty vegetarian main dish packed with all the flavors of a classic Greek salad.
- Mexican-Style Chicken Caesar – A zesty twist on the classic, with chicken, corn, queso fresco, toasted chips, and a lime-spiked Caesar-style dressing.
- Shrimp Cocktail Salad – A seafood spin that turns the retro appetizer into a full meal, complete with a tangy cocktail sauce-inspired dressing.
- Grilled Steak and Potato Salad – Perfect for meat lovers, this one includes mushrooms and a punchy balsamic vinaigrette.
Beef Taco Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 3/4 lb ground beef, or turkey or chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
- 1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For the salad:
- 6 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 slices sweet onion, halved and separated
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or more to taste
- tortilla chips
- 4 lime wedges
Instructions
Prepare the ground beef:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Drain any excess fat from the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes more, and season with a pinch of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon).
- Stir in the tomato sauce and black beans, then add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Allow the mixture to cook for 2 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust the chili powder if desired.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Stir occasionally, and once done, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Make the dressing:
- While the beef mixture cooks, make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mashed avocado, olive oil, yogurt, lime juice, milk, and garlic. Whisk until smooth and creamy, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the cilantro. Cover and set aside.
Assemble the salad:
- Divide the lettuce between 4 plates, top each with sliced onion, and arrange the cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado slices around the edges of the plates. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the meat mixture into the center of each salad and top with grated cheddar.
- Arrange a few tortilla chips around the edges of each plate and drizzle with a small amount of dressing. Serve with lime wedges and extra dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Another great recipe especially as I love Avocados!!!
This taco salad is nice and hearty with great flavors. I love the cilantro and avocado in the dressing and also the bright colors they add!
Hi Beth,
Glad you enjoyed the taco salad. Thanks for letting us know.
This is my new favorite dressing! I could eat it with a spoon and want to put it on absolutely everything. 🙂
Glad you like it – I love the tangy yogurt/buttermilk flavor combined with the avocado.