Who else can’t get enough of taco night?! The tastes can’t be beat, the flavor combinations are endless and there’s a hundred fun toppings you can add. (Y’all know me and my obsession with toppings!) I also just love the process of creating and assembling the tacos. Getting just the right amount of every ingredient so each bite is perfect. Yum! My turkey tacos are a regular go-to in our house and we all love my healthy chicken taco casserole. But sometimes I want tacos without the actual taco. So we make healthy taco salads, and they are such a fun twist and perfect for a lighter taco night. Taco salads are also super versatile! I’ve included a base recipe below but also given you tons of ideas (keep reading) for things you can add and ways you can change it up. There are endless variations, which hopefully just means more taco salad in our lives! OK, let’s get cooking. Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make taco salads. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Ground turkey is our go-to for all tacos. You could certainly substitute a lean ground beef here instead. Just be sure to drain any excess grease. Ground chicken would work too. I prefer a 93% lean ground turkey. The ones that are 99% lean don’t have much flavor, in my opinion. Peppers: This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of chopped bell pepper. Using a mix of colors - such as red, yellow and green - adds a lot of flavor and color, but it’s fine to use just one color. Homemade taco seasoning makes a huge difference, flavor-wise. It’s also easy to mix up and uses on-hand spices. But you can also use a store-bought packet if you prefer. Greens: Spinach is my go-to green for salads (probably because I always have it on hand). However, you could also use romaine lettuce, a spring mix or another blend of salad greens.
Want to add some extra vegetables? You know I love that. Here’s a few ideas.
Extra Veggie Add-Ins:
- Zucchini - chopped and sautéed with the ground turkey or grated and melted in
- Fresh tomatoes - as a topping or chopped and softened in the pan
- Corn - can use fresh or frozen, add to the pan with the turkey to warm through
- Mushrooms - chopped mushrooms can be mixed in with the ground meat (or used to replace part of it) Just be sure to add some extra taco seasoning to get your entire pan well seasoned, if you are putting in extra ingredients. OK, we are all ready to eat, so let’s talk about serving up this taco salad.
Serving Ideas:
- This salad, as is, is a delicious dinner. (Especially when you add your favorite toppings; see more below.)
- You can also make it as lettuce wraps by stuffing lettuce leaves with the turkey and pepper mixture, along with any toppings.
- Make a wrap or burrito! Add your salad to a wrap or burrito shell to serve it that way.
- Or you could make this a more hearty meal by adding some black beans. You can stir them in with the turkey mixture to warm through in the pan.
- Also, you can make this more of a rice bowl by serving the turkey and pepper mixture over steamed rice, then adding lettuce and toppings. (Or do both; stir the black beans in with the rice or with the turkey and serve the whole thing together.) (Cauliflower rice would be a delicious base if you wanted to keep this low-carb.) And of course, we must talk toppings. Take your pick on which ones you want, but I think they are a must with this dish.
Topping Ideas:
Shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend cheese) Salsa or pico de gallo or chopped fresh tomatoes Sliced or diced avocado or guacamole Sour cream or Greek yogurt Pickled red onions Pickled jalapeños Chopped fresh cilantro Sliced green onions Hot sauce or sriracha Tortilla chips or corn chips
Usually, once you load up with salsa and other toppings, you have plenty on your plate to round out the meal. However, if you’d like a dressing, you can try this cilantro lime dressing (that takes just 5 minutes to make in a blender and adds a little punch of freshness) or any favorite store-bought dressing. Final note: You can prep this ahead or keep the leftovers for another day. (They make a fabulous lunch!) Just be sure to store your cooked meat and veggies separately from the lettuce, so it doesn’t get wilted. And toppings should be added just before serving, too. I hope you give this a try for a lighter - and equally delicious - take on taco night. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn The original recipe was posted in February 2015. It has been updated with new photos and text. Turkey: Ground turkey is our go-to for all tacos, and I prefer a 93% lean ground turkey. You could certainly substitute a lean ground beef here instead. Just be sure to drain any excess grease. Ground chicken would work too. Peppers: This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of chopped bell pepper. Using a mix of colors - such as red, yellow and green - adds a lot of flavor and color, but it’s fine to use all of one. Taco seasoning: Homemade taco seasoning makes a huge difference, flavor-wise. It’s also easy to mix up and uses on-hand spices. But you can also use a store-bought packet if you prefer. Lettuce: Spinach is my go-to green for salads, but you could also use romaine lettuce, a spring mix or another blend of salad greens. Extra veggies: You could also mix in zucchini, corn, mushrooms or fresh tomatoes with the turkey mixture if you’d like some more veggies in your salad. Additional serving ideas:
Make lettuce wraps by stuffing lettuce leaves with the turkey and pepper mixture, along with any toppings.Make a wrap or burrito. Add your salad to a wrap or burrito shell to serve it that way.Add black beans to make a more hearty mixture. Stir them in with the turkey mixture to warm through in the pan.Make a rice bowl by serving the turkey and pepper mixture over steamed rice, then adding lettuce and toppings.Or do both; stir the black beans in with the rice or with the turkey and serve the whole thing together.
Dressing: if you’d like a dressing, you can try this cilantro lime dressing (that takes just 5 minutes to make in a blender and adds a little punch of freshness) or any favorite store-bought dressing. Make-ahead: You can prep this ahead or keep the leftovers for another day. (They make a fabulous lunch!) Just be sure to store your cooked meat and veggies separately from the lettuce, so it doesn’t get wilted. Add toppings just before serving.
