Taco salad with ground beef and crispy nachos Recipe
Taco salad is the American answer to Mexican tacos – all your favorite toppings go into one big bowl. There’s lettuce, juicy spiced beef, corn, beans, cheese and crushed nachos that stand in for tortillas. It’s a great weeknight dinner because everyone can add as many toppings as they like, and the table looks like a little tex-mex bar.
This taco salad packs all the fun of a tex-mex taco night into one big, colorful bowl. It’s interactive, easy to customize at the table and perfect for casual gatherings or relaxed weeknight dinners.
Chef's tips
Season the meat generously – it’s the flavor base of the whole salad. Keep the nachos and sauce on the side if you expect leftovers, so each portion can be assembled fresh. If you’re cooking for kids, reduce the chili and serve extra on the side for spice lovers.
How to serve
Serve with extra lime wedges, hot sauce and a bowl of whole nachos on the side. It also pairs well with simple tomato salsa or guacamole if you want to turn dinner into a mini tex-mex feast.
Ingredients
- ground beef - 400 g
- rapeseed oil - 15 ml
- onion - 80 g
- garlic - 6 g
- sweet paprika powder - 5 g
- ground cumin - 3 g
- chili powder - 1 g
- salt - 4 g
- iceberg lettuce - 200 g
- cherry tomatoes - 150 g
- canned corn - 150 g
- canned red kidney beans - 150 g
- cheddar cheese - 80 g
- nacho chips - 80 g
- sour cream - 120 g
- mayonnaise - 40 g
- lime - 1 pieces
- fresh coriander - 5 g
Preparation
- Peel the onion and cut it into a small dice. Finely chop the garlic.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it softens and turns slightly translucent but does not brown.
- Add the ground beef, break it up with a spatula and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the meat turns brown and there are no raw pieces left.
- Add the garlic, sweet paprika, cumin, chili and salt. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the spices become very fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and let the meat cool slightly.
- Wash the lettuce, dry it well and cut into thin strips. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes. Drain the corn and beans in a sieve and rinse under cold water.
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with the mayonnaise. Add the juice of the lime (start with half and add more to taste), a pinch of salt and, if you like, a little chili. The sauce should be slightly tangy and creamy.
- Chop the coriander or parsley. Crush the nachos in your hands into smaller pieces just before serving so they stay crunchy.
- In a large bowl, arrange a layer of lettuce, then scatter over the meat, corn, beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheddar and the chopped herbs.
- Spoon dollops of the sour cream sauce on top and sprinkle everything with the crushed nachos. Serve immediately so the chips don’t soften.
Storage
Store the components separately: meat, chopped vegetables, sauce and nachos. Assemble just before eating so the lettuce and chips stay crisp. Already mixed salad with nachos is best eaten the same day.
I like to set this up as a DIY salad bar: lettuce, warm meat, toppings and sauces in separate bowls. Everyone builds their own perfect taco salad, and there’s hardly any fuss in the kitchen.
