Easy Taco Salad

Ever make tacos or burritos and have leftovers of all the different parts? Beans, cheese, lettuce, tortillas… well, this salad is a result of all of the leftovers from making burritos with my family, and using the leftovers to make a delicious Big Ol’ Salad (BOS). It’s a throw-everything-in-a-bowl kind of meal, topped with a simple dressing of sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce. Yum!

I can’t NOT talk about the delicious burritos we made, and will post about them in more detail sometime in the near future. My sister and her boyfriend have been in town for the past week (they live in San Francisco… so far away!) and so I planned a lunch for them, my father, and his wife of “make your own burritos.” Zach and I worked on prepping the different ingredients beforehand- I marinated the smoky Mexican chicken, we chopped a bunch of lettuce, grated cheese, etc.

When it came time to eat, we loaded up whole wheat wraps with cilantro lime rice, the chicken, peppers and onions, beans, and other toppings. But, the cheese and the lettuce were forgotten in the fridge!! So the next day we decided to make a taco salad to use up these and the rest of the burrito ingredients.

You can throw whatever you want in a salad like this. We used iceberg lettuce as a base- normally, I don’t use iceberg because it doesn’t have as many awesome nutrients as a darker green, like spinach. But it does have an amazing cool crunch that’s perfectly paired with the other spicy Mexican ingredients, so I use it in tacos frequently. We added beans, shredded cheese, diced avocado, and tortilla strips (we made our own by frying some sliced corn tortillas in a cast iron skillet and topping with salt), and topped with a simple creamy, spicy dressing.

Sadly, we had eaten all the smoky Mexican chicken in the burritos, as well as the sauteed peppers and onions, which would have been delicious in this salad as well.

Next time I make this, it’s not just going to be from leftovers. I’m going to buy all the ingredients specifically for this salad and make enough to last me all week! It’s that good. Oooo and I think this would be amazing as a wrap as well. Yup, definitely trying that soon. Hope you enjoy this as an easy, delicious way to use up all those delicious Mexican food ingredients!

Easy Taco Salad

This salad is an easy combination of all your leftovers from taco night, topped with fresh tortilla strips and a simple, creamy, spicy dressing. Yum!

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Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Servings: 2

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 1 can or 1.5 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 avocados diced
• 4 corn tortillas
• 4 oz. monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• juice of one lime
• a few dashes of hot sauce
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: any other ingredients you would use for tacos or burritos such as chicken or beef, sauteed peppers and onions, etc.

Instructions

• To make tortilla strips: Slice corn tortillas into strips. In a cast iron or other large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add strips, monitoring carefully so they don't burn. Toss to flip over once in a while, and after a few minutes, remove to a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.
• Meanwhile, combine lettuce, beans, avocados, and cheese (and any other ingredients) in a large bowl. Set aside.
• To make the dressing: Combine sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (I used about a teaspoon) to taste in a small bowl.
• Serve lettuce mixture topped with tortilla strips and drizzled with the dressing. Add more hot sauce if desired.

Did you make this recipe?I'd LOVE to see your creation! Mention @bowlofdelicious or use the hashtag #bowlofdelicious