My Favorite Taco Salad Bowls
All the nacho photos from my last post made me crave Mexican food! Off I went to the grocery store to pick-up ingredients for our go-to taco bowls.
We make this dish in some form or fashion at least twice a month – sometimes I use cooked rice, millet or quinoa instead of the shredded lettuce as the base. When I have avocado on hand, I will make guacamole and plop a big scoop on top instead of the plain yogurt. If you do not eat meat, you can make this meat-free by increasing the beans to 3-4 cups and adding 1-2 cups of a cooked grain as the “meat filling”. Gotta love options 🙂
My Favorite Taco Salad Bowls
My Favorite Taco Salad Bowls
Ingredients
- Spice mix*
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika (you could use a heaping 1/2 tsp smoked paprika for a different but lovely smoky taste)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp coconut oil, butter, ghee or other neutral oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cups cooked beans (pinto or black)
- 3/4 lb ground meat (turkey, bison, chicken, beef)**
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and deveined and minced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- For serving
- shredded lettuce
- shredded cheese (omit for dairy free or use dairy-free cheese)
- plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, optional
- avocado cubes or guacamole, optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meat and onion and cook until meat is cooked through
- Stir in the spice mixture and beans, then toss to combine. Cook for about 5-6 minutes while preparing the tomatoes.
- In a small mixing bowl, toss fresh tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeno.
- Add shredded lettuce to your bowl, top with bean-meat mixture and spoon on the tomato-lime mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, avocado and greek yogurt/sour cream and enjoy! Serve with sturdy chips and use as spoons if you are like me 🙂
*If you prefer to use a pre-made spice pack to save time, feel free to substitute Southwest Taco Seasoning from Simply Organic.
**For a vegetarian dish, increase beans to 3-4 cups and add 1-2 cups of your favorite cooked grain. Crumbled tempeh might even work here as well!
