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When you need a hassle-free dinner, this taco salad recipe is a flavorful, satisfying option for any day of the week. Ready to serve in less than 45 minutes, it’s a tasty twist on taco night and a great addition to your weeknight recipe repertoire.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Taco salad is a quintessential example of Tex-Mex cuisine, and there are probably as many variations on this tasty main dish as there are people who make it. Our version includes ground beef simmered with Mexican-style spices, tomato sauce, and black beans, served over a cool green salad with sliced avocado, and drizzled with a limey avocado-yogurt dressing. The dressing’s tangy flavor and creamy texture add a delicious contrast to the spicy meat and cool greens. The finishing touch is to serve this salad with a few tortilla chips to add just the right amount of crunch to pull everything together.
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- GROUND BEEF, TURKEY, OR CHICKEN: Any type of ground meat will work for this dish. Ground beef is traditional, but we also like ground chicken for its lighter, tender texture.
- AVOCADOS: This recipe uses avocados in both the dressing and as a component of the salad. 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.
- LOW-SODIUM CANNED BLACK BEANS: We always use low-sodium canned beans and rinse and drain them really well. This helps to remove a little more of the sodium content and gets rid of the starchy liquid that you definitely don’t need in this recipe.
- PLAIN YOGURT: Yogurt in the dressing adds plenty of tangy flavor, and if you use the low-fat variety, the dressing will be lighter than it would be using sour cream or mayo.
- FRESH LIMES: Lime juice is an important flavor in this taco salad, so you should definitely use fresh-squeezed. You can even grate a little lime zest into the dressing for extra zing.
- FRESH CILANTRO: Cilantro is another key flavor in this salad but if you don’t care for it, add some fresh parsley to the dressing instead.
How to Make Taco Salad with Avocado Yogurt Dressing
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
PREPARE THE GROUND BEEF: Sauté the ground beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain the excess fat, add the onion and garlic, and continue cooking until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Stir in tomato sauce, black beans, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Cook for a minute or two, then adjust the seasonings to taste. Continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
NOTE: You can prepare the meat mixture ahead of time, refrigerate, and reheat it just before serving.
MAKE THE DRESSING: While the meat cooks, combine the mashed avocado, olive oil, yogurt, lime juice, milk, and garlic in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy, season to taste, and stir in the cilantro. Cover and set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD AND SERVE: Divide the lettuce between 4 plates, top each with sliced onion, and arrange the cucumber and tomatoes around the edges of the plates.
Slice the avocado and add a portion to each plate. Top each salad with a portion of the meat mixture and top with grated cheddar. Arrange some tortilla chips around the edges of each plate and drizzle on some dressing. Serve with lime wedges and extra dressing on the side.
Tips for Success: The Easiest Way To Slice An Avocado
Here’s how to easily slice or chunk an avocado.
- Slice the avocado lengthwise, all the way to the pit, and all the way around.
- Gently twist the two halves apart, then give the pit a single whack with the blade of your knife so that it sinks in at least 1/8 inch. Twist the knife a little and the pit should rotate enough that you can pop it free and remove it.
- Carefully run a teaspoon along the inside of the avocado skin to loosen the flesh and remove it in one piece.
- Place the avocado half, cut side down on a board, and slice or cut as needed.
- If you don’t plan to serve cut avocados immediately, and drizzle them with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning.
Discover More Easy Main Dish Salads
Main dish salads are a smart option when you want a wholesome, fresh meal that doesn’t require a lot of prep time or clean-up work. Here are a few more to try:
If you want more south-of-the-border flavors, our Mexican-style chicken Caesar, topped with chicken tenders, corn, queso fresco, toasted tortilla chips, and a limey Caesar-style dressing is a good choice.
For seafood fans, we’ve reimagined a classic appetizer into our shrimp cocktail salad, complete with a tangy twist on cocktail sauce as a dressing.
Meat lovers will enjoy our grilled steak and potato salad with mushrooms and balsamic vinaigrette, and just for meatless Mondays, we have a Greek spinach and quinoa salad, a hearty vegetarian option that is sure to please.
Taco Salad with Avocado Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb ground beef, or turkey, chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 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. Note: If you like a little extra heat, you could add a pinch of cayenne too.
- 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 ground 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 and tomatoes around the edges of the plates.
- Scoop the avocado halves from the skin, cut them into slices and add a portion to each plate. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the meat mixture into the center of each salad and top with grated cheddar.
- Arrange some 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
- Slice the avocado lengthwise, all the way to the pit, and all the way around.
- Gently twist the two halves apart, then give the pit a single whack with the blade of your knife so that it sinks in at least 1/8 inch. Twist the knife a little and the pit should rotate enough that you can pop it free and remove it.
- Carefully run a teaspoon along the inside of the avocado skin to loosen the flesh and remove it in one piece.
- Place the avocado half, cut side down on a board, and slice or cut as needed.
- If you don’t plan to serve cut avocados immediately, and drizzle them with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning.
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.