Ground Beef Taco Salad

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes…as long as you don’t eat all of the Fritos first!

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This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!This recipe showed up in our kitchen thanks to Laura’s stop at a gas station in Pennsylvania.  You see, Laura grew up in Altoona, PA.  If you live anywhere near Altoona, then you are well aware of the gas station/convenience store Sheetz.  When I first met Laura, we were living in Atlanta, and she kept telling me about Sheetz.  I remember thinking to myself, “What’s so great about a gas station!?”  Then I finally went into a Sheetz.

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!To call Sheetz a gas station is an understatement.  To call Sheetz a convenience store is an understatement.  Sure, they sell gas along with all of the things you might expect from a convenience store (candy bars, soda, etc.).  But the part that puts Sheetz over the top is the Made-To-Order counter.  Think tasty fast food made to order.  And the food actually tastes good.  That sure beats the heck out of the gas stations with hot dogs rolling on that rack for the last 10 hours…or longer!

Ground Beef Taco Salad

Laura stopped at a Sheetz to fill up her gas tank, and they had an ad for taco salad.  And that’s when the craving started.  After she got back home, she suggested that we make a Ground Beef Taco Salad for dinner.  It didn’t take long for me to agree – after all, taco salads are amazing!  Not only is there yummy beef, cheese and other toppings…but Ground Beef Taco Salads are a perfect excuse to dump Fritos on top of your salad.  Talk about my kinda meal!

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!Another bonus for taco salads?  They are SO easy to make.  You can have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes or so – and it won’t taste like a dinner that took 15 minutes to make!  While the ground beef is cooking in the skillet, you can chop the lettuce, tomatoes and green onions that will go on top.  Add in some shredded cheddar cheese, a spoonful or four of salsa, a bit of sour cream and a handful of chopped cilantro, and you’ve got a tasty meal.  And since this Ground Beef Taco Salad comes together so quickly, you won’t have time to eat the entire bag of Fritos while you’re cooking!

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!One other quick note about the ingredients for these salads.  Lean ground beef.  I feel like lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7) gets a bad rap sometimes.  After all, fat is flavor, right?  Well that is 100% true!  If we’re talking burgers in the summer, give me 75/25 or 80/20.  However, in this case, the beef gets simmered in taco seasoning mixed with water.  The taco seasoning packs a huge flavor punch, so you can go with lean ground beef.  That means this Ground Beef Taco Salad can be quite healthy – as long as you don’t pour the entire bag of Fritos on top!

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  This one cured Laura’s craving, but I’m sure one of us will be craving these salads again soon.  Cheers!

Did you make this Ground Beef Taco Salad at home?  Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).  I’d love to see how many Fritos you pile on your version!

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!

Ground Beef Taco Salad

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 607kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Using a large skillet, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef has browned. If needed, drain excess fat from skillet.
  • Add water and taco seasoning; stir until well combined. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, or until water has mostly evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
  • Place chopped iceberg lettuce in a large bowl. Add cherry tomatoes, black beans and cooked beef. Top with cheese, green onions, corn chips, sour cream, salsa and chopped cilantro.
  • {Optional} Squeeze fresh lime juice on top of taco salad before serving.

This Ground Beef Taco Salad is easy and delicious!  This classic recipe is ready in just 15 minutes...just don't eat all of the Fritos first!

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These Crispy Baja Fish Tacos are not only quick and easy, but packed with delicious flavor, too!  They're the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of warmer days!Crispy Baja Fish Tacos

This Taco Casserole recipe is easy and delicious...perfect for weeknight cooking!Taco Casserole

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20 Comments

  1. Will be making this soon can i use vegan beef and cheese as am a vegan can i skip iceberg lettuce as am not a big fan of it i never had taco salad before perfect for my after office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya

    1. Hey Ramya! Yes, this would certainly be an easy recipe to substitute in vegan options. Just don’t skip on the Fritos (or some other salty corn chip) on top. I hope you enjoy this!

    1. I think crumbled tortilla chips would be perfectly fine in this recipe, Mimi! In fact, I kinda want to try that version out myself now. This really is a tasty recipe, and it’s so easy to adjust it to your preferences!

  2. 5 stars
    I actually love gas station stops – they could be an exciting experience during long road trips. Besides some snacks (You’re always hungry when traveling, right? lol) you could get some really delicious home-style food and good coffee for decent money – sometimes better than at a restaurant! Beautiful taco salad – filling, hearty, and delicious.

    1. I hear ya, Ben. Long road trips are pretty boring, and sometimes it’s a simple gas station stop that adds some interest to the trip. While this taco salad didn’t come from the gas station, it did inspire us to make this classic version here at home. It’s delicious!!

  3. i like the sound of this david. fresh coriander and lime juice? you can’t go wrong there. Yum. Sheetz sounds interesting. we only have terrible fast food in our service stations.

    1. To be fair, Sherry, most of the gas stations here have pretty terrible food, too. Sheetz is just unique – think pretty decent fast food combined with a gas station. Either way, it inspired this taco salad. This is a great recipe that’s 1) easy to make and 2) easy to adapt to your favorite tastes/ingredients!

  4. 5 stars
    I love taco salads and adding Fritos sounds perfect! I’ll have to buy a big bag because I tend to be a nibbler before any of those Fritos even make it to the salad! I just can’t resist. This is perfect for those busy weeknights, because this salad means dinner can be ready fast and delicious!

    1. I’m with ya, Kathy – I tend to nibble a bit when I’m cooking, too. And when Fritos are involved? Yeah, let’s go ahead and get the big bag! 🙂 This taco salad is amazing…as long as you can save enough Fritos for it. Haha!

    1. The textures and flavors in this taco salad really are quite fun, Michelle. It’s a favorite around here – and it’s so easy to make, too!

  5. 5 stars
    Just made this for lunch —so good! For the dressing I did something I remembered from the mid 80s. half taco sauce and half Catalina dressing. That was the only thing I did different. Now I have taco salad for a week!

    1. Ah, thanks so much for stopping by to leave a review, Kim! I absolutely love this taco salad – and it’s so easy to make, too. Interesting note about the taco sauce + Catalina. I’m intrigued! I’ll have to try that out next time I make this one!

  6. 5 stars
    I’ve been having my taco salad for years like this but you forgot one thing- Italian dressing. Try with that also along with everything else, you won’t go wrong. Mmmmm.

    1. Interesting! I would never have thought about adding Italian dressing to this taco salad. I like the sound of it, though – I’ll try it out next time we make this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing, Carol!!

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