Beef Taco Salad with Tortilla Bowl (Printable)
Crispy tortilla bowls filled with seasoned beef, fresh vegetables, and classic taco toppings for a satisfying Mexican-inspired meal.
# Ingredient List:
→ Tortilla Bowls
01 - 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
02 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
→ Seasoned Beef
03 - 1 pound lean ground beef
04 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 teaspoons chili powder
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1/4 cup tomato sauce
13 - 1/4 cup water
→ Salad Components
14 - 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
15 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
16 - 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
17 - 1 cup canned corn, drained
18 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
19 - 1/2 cup sliced black olives
20 - 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
21 - 1 avocado, sliced or diced
→ Toppings
22 - 1/2 cup sour cream
23 - 1/2 cup salsa
24 - Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
25 - Lime wedges
# How to Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush both sides of each flour tortilla lightly with vegetable oil. Drape each tortilla over an inverted oven-safe bowl or use a tortilla mold to form a bowl shape.
02 - Bake tortillas for 12–15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool completely before carefully lifting off the molds.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
04 - Add chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened, 2–3 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Mix in tomato sauce and water. Simmer for 4–5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
06 - Place a tortilla bowl on each plate. Fill with chopped romaine lettuce and top with warm seasoned beef mixture.
07 - Arrange cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, black olives, red onion, and avocado over the beef and lettuce.
08 - Dollop with sour cream and salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges on the side.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Everything happens in one skillet while the tortilla bowls crisp in the oven, somehow making dinner feel like an event instead of just food on plates
- The seasoned beef filling freezes beautifully, so doubling it means future you gets an almost instant dinner
02 -
- Don't skip the oil on the tortillas, because without it they bake into hard crackers instead of bendable bowls
- Let the tortilla bowls cool completely before filling, otherwise they steam from the inside and lose their crunch within minutes
03 -
- If you don't have oven-safe bowls, shape tortillas over the back side of muffin tins for smaller individual cups
- Avocado tends to brown once cut, so toss the pieces with a little lime juice before adding them to the salad