Taco Salad Bowls
The crispy, seasoned bowls are the best part of these tasty Taco Salad Bowls!
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I love burritos. I mean how can you not love a wrap stuffed full of all sorts of delicious ingredients? But Laura…she’s always been a salad kinda gal. Whenever we go out for burritos or tacos, she always orders hers in salad bowl form. You know…the kind of salad that comes in those bowls of fried dough.
As for me, I proceed to eat my burrito. Once said burrito is gone, I then proceed to reach over and start breaking off corners of her salad bowl. Of course, I have to dodge her fork as she tells me to keep my hands to myself. But it’s a big piece of fried dough! How can she expect me to behave around that?
Earlier this week, I was making myself a wrap for lunch. It wasn’t far off of this Veggie Hummus Wrap, although I didn’t happen to have any sprouts on hand. As I was picking up the wrap, I got the craziest idea. What if I baked that wrap until it was crispy? I could turn it into a tostada of sorts. And then top it with delicious taco salad ingredients. But what if I took it one step further and shaped the wrap into a bowl before I baked it? Could this be done?
I thought about using the bottom of a muffin pan as this makes a good bowl mold. But that was too small…unless I wanted to create mini-Taco Salad Bowls. I kinda like 1-bite or 2-bite recipes. But we’re talking about Taco Salad Bowls here. They require more than 1 or 2 bites. That’s when it hit me. Instead of a muffin tin, I could use empty cans as the mold. Would this work? I decided to experiment. Sometimes my experiments fail miserably, but you never know if you don’t try, right? I reached into the recycling bin and grabbed some cans. (Don’t worry…I washed them first!)
Good news! My experiment worked. The upside-down cans were the perfect mold for salad bowls. And to think empty cans actually have a use. Now I’ll be stocking a couple of empty cans in the drawer of random kitchen tools. They totally fall into what Laura calls ‘kitchen uni-taskers,’ but you know what? They help create Taco Salad Bowls. Therefore they deserve a spot in the cabinet.
And the best part about these homemade Taco Salad Bowls? They’re way healthier than the fried version you get at restaurants. And they’re simple to make! I used Flatout flatbread wraps to make these bowls. Flatout flatbreads are a staple in our pantry, and we use them for everything from easy lunchtime wraps to tasty flatbread pizzas on the grill. And now we can add Taco Salad Bowls to that list.
I used the Original Flatout flatbread wraps for these bowls, but you could totally use any flavor of Flatout wraps. I suspect their Sun-dried Tomato or Garden Spinach wraps would be excellent in crispy bowl form. I did brush on some olive oil and sprinkle a few spices on the outside of the wraps before I baked ’em. Talk about delicious! I may or may not have been breaking off bits of an extra bowl while I was taking these photos. Can you blame me?
What are your favorite ingredients for a taco salad? I went with the classic fillings this time, but I anticipate that we’ll be making lots of taco salad bowls this summer. I need some inspiration!
Taco Salad Bowls
Ingredients
For the Taco Bowls
- 4 Flatout flatbread wraps
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
For the Taco Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
For the Salad
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- ½ cup water
- ½ head Iceberg lettuce chopped
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup black olives sliced
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 to mato diced
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
For the Taco Bowls
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Remove the labels from 4 empty metal cans and place them upside down on a baking sheet.
- Brush outside of wraps with olive oil. Combine salt, chili powder and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over outside of the wraps. Lay one wrap over each of the cans.
- Bake at 375°F for 12-15 minutes, or until wraps have become slightly crispy. Remove wraps from oven and let cool.
For the Tacos
- Make the Taco Seasoning by whisking together all spices in a small bowl. Set aside. (See note.)
- Using a large skillet, add ground beef and onion. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is fully browned; drain any excess fat from the pan.
- Add water and half of the Taco Seasoning to the pan; stir until well combined. Increase heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Meanwhile, divide lettuce into the 4 taco bowls.
- Top each bowl with ground beef, cheese, olives, black beans and tomatoes.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the sour cream, milk and remaining half of the Taco Seasoning. Drizzle top of each bowl with dressing before serving.
Notes
This Taco Salad Bowls post was sponsored by Flatout Flatbread, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
This is such a great idea! I love taco bowls and really love that these are baked! Still all the crunchy goodness without all the extra fat. These look really delicious!
Taco bowls are totally the best, Kathy! And another advantage of baking them at home is you can add your own seasonings. 🙂
What a great idea, David!! I see these in my future, that’s for sure 🙂 They turned out so well for you. Like yourself, I love experimenting in the kitchen and, like yourself, sometimes it doesn’t always work out, but when they do? YES! Those Flatout wraps are delicious and love that this recipe is on the healthier side 🙂 Avocado or grilled corn would make a lovely addition to these, too. Hope you have a great week!
These were so easy to make, Dawn! I was a little worried they might not work out well, but they totally did! And the funky shapes are part of the fun appeal on these. 🙂 Oh, and grilled corn! Yes! I’m making these taco bowls for dinner again this week, and I’m definitely adding grilled corn this time. Good call!
David it´s genius the way you made these bowls!! So so clever! These taco salad bowls looks amazing, I´m coming over for lunch.. don´t hide it 🙂 🙂
Haha! Come on over, Johlene! I’ll get a fresh batch of taco shells in the oven now. 🙂
Haha – yeah, how can Laura expect you to behave around a big piece of fried dough??? Though I am totally digging these healthier baked alternatives!
Talk about delicious indeed – or should I say tac-o-bowl delicious!? 🙂
Brilliant idea to use them there cans, David! Hope Laura had a very happy 1st Mothers Day!
Trying to rein me in around fried dough is darned near impossible…and the fried dough with powdered sugar (i.e. elephant ears, funnel cakes, etc.) at fairs? That’s no-holds-barred territory for me! But these bowls turned out great. I love that I could add my own seasonings…they were…wait for it…tacolicious. 🙂
Now there’s one tasty bowl… great idea Dave! Plus, it’s baked a win, win.It’s always nice when the idea come sth fruition and it works. I can’t tell you how many have not. I should keep a list and make a post! Epic Fails I Do So You Don’t Have To post. Ha! Now as a sports guy did you watch the Derby or no? I completely forgot. #WolfpackTaqueria
Not only is it baked, but you can add your own seasonings before tossing it in the oven. Plus, it’s way faster than pulling out the fryer! An epic fails post would be hilarious. I definitely have had my share, and they are annoying as all get out. But they sure are funny to think about after the fact… We did watch the Derby, but we weren’t glued to it. We have Saratoga up here, but I don’t follow horse racing as much as say, college football…or college basketball…or college baseball. 🙂
Hi David! I can think of all kinds of things to put in these bowls! How about serving dips and salsas in them? That way when the dip is all gone you’d get to eat the bowl – no bowls to wash! 🙂
Oooo! Dips and salsas. I could make a smaller version of these bowls to hold salsa, and then you can eat the bowl when you’re done. Genius, Dorothy! Don’t be surprised when you see that idea pop up here one day. And I’m all about fewer dishes…that’s one of the reasons why I love the grill so much in the summer!
Fabulous ! What a lovely idea to use the cans to shape the taco bowls. I am sure they were yum !
They were totally yum, Ruwani…thank you! And the best part was adding a spice mix to the outside of the bowls before baking them. I seriously couldn’t stop eating the bowls long enough to snap the photos. 🙂
What an inventive idea! Now I kinda want to make these as mini hors d’oeuvres in cupcake tins 🙂
Hmmm…mini taco salads, you say? I think you are onto something here, Medha! 1- or 2-bite taco salads. I could totally get behind that one…just put the tray next to me and back away slowly. 🙂
Oh these are SO neat! Love this idea!
I would LOVE to invite you to share this with my viewers at Cooking and Crafting with J & J: http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/cooking-crafting-j-j-link-49-48-features/
Also, you can share this with my Recipes, Crafts, Tips and Tricks Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thank you so much, Jess! I will hop over right now and share this post. 🙂
This is SO genius!!!!! I tried taco salad bowls several times in the States, but they were so ridiculously deep fried and most likely re-used lol.
Love how Flatout have multiple flavor wraps to change it up- I might use the sundried tomato ones for these!
Re-used taco bowls? Arman! Haha! These taco bowls turned out crazy good…not only were they easy and healthier than the fried version, but you can add whatever sort of spice mixture you want to the outside of the bowl. I’m dying to try these with the sundried tomato flavor now!
I don’t know why, but I’m not a burrito boy (Sorry about that), but I enjoy them once in a while. You know what might bother me in a traditional burrito? The filling tends to fall off its wrap which couldn’t make happy anyone. So the greatest part of these bowls is…that they’re basically the bowls which will prevent all us from having a “burrito thing”. That’s a burrito revolution, David!:) Delicious combo too.
I do love a good burrito, but I hear ya, Ben. Sometimes they can be a bit difficult to eat. The key is in wrapping them tightly. If you get overzealous and stuff too much deliciousness in there…well, all that deliciousness ends up on your plate. (Not that it’s a bad thing…) But these bowls totally fix that problem. Stuff ’em full of your favorite toppings and go to town. And then eat the bowl when you’re done! 🙂
So much more fun than a regular bowl for salad! You always have the best recipes! On 5th May, we went to enjoy authentic Mexican food close by, they had a mariachi band, we had an awesome time. I wish I could express the sound of the mariachi band playing in my head as I gazed at this recipe.
I totally agree, Rahul! Who needs a regular bowl when you can have these baked bowls? Plus, I have to clean a regular bowl whereas I can eat these taco bowls! Win win! 🙂
Well, aren’t you the clever one! Nothing like recycling your recycling to make your own taco salad bowls! Although, I’m really relieved to know that you washed them. I personally can’t have any type of taco or Mexican food without a sinful amount of cheese and a huge pile of guacamole!
Haha! I can’t have dirty cans…uh, I mean taco shell molds…hanging out in my cabinets now can I, Rachelle? 🙂 And I may or may not have added said sinful amount of cheese after I took these photos. But I’ll deny it all day long if you call me out on it!
I love your bowl-making method. I’ve been in the mood for tacos for, like, a month. Yes, a long, taco-less month. I’m a huge fan of any bowl you can eat, so I think this taco salad is in my near future.
A taco-less month? As in 30 days without tacos? How do you do it? I think that sounds like a blog topic right there. Forget 365 days of baking with Julia, 30 days without tacos is way more interesting!
I love that! “Thirty Days without Tacos.” If you don’t wrtie that, I will! (But I’d have to go anbother 30 days without tacos. Does a taco salad count?)
You know, that’s a tough call there, Jeff. I feel that if you’re gonna go down the “No Tacos for 30 Days” road…then you can’t really cheat and have taco bowls/taco salads. But just think how epic that taco will be on Day 31!
I love taco salads, but I’ve never made them at home before. These pictures are so bright and cheery and make me want a taco salad at almost 10 o’clock on a Sunday night! LOL!
Hey, midnight snack? Ok, maybe 10pm snack? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a late-night taco bowl! 🙂 Thanks, Tamara!
These look fun and delicious! The sort of thing that you could throw together for a party and make people think it’s more work than it actually is 🙂 My kinda recipe!
That’s totally true, Natasha! These taco bowls would be great for a taco party. Let everyone add their own toppings, too…that way you convince everyone to make their own dinner! 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting!
Have you tried them using flour tortillas instead of the flatbread?
Hey Lucy! I’ve actually only ever made these using flatbreads…and I can say the flatbreads work beautifully! 🙂 If you give these a shot with tortillas, will you let me know how they turn out? Thanks, and I hope you enjoy these as much as we do around our house!