All About Taco Salad

Add protein to your taco salad the same way you would put protein on a taco. Think chicken strips, steak strips, shredded chicken, or cubes of steak. Ground beef mixes well (and tastes great) into a taco salad too. 

We’re veggie people, but we admit that one of the greatest parts of a taco is the delicious tortilla that holds it all together. Don’t worry: a taco salad doesn’t say adios to the tortilla. While traditional taco salad calls for tortilla strips, you can also just lightly crunch up your favorite tortilla chips. If you’re feeling really festive, put your taco salad into a tortilla bowl. (Then go ahead and play with your food! Skip the fork, and break the bowl into chip size pieces and eat the salad like it’s a dip!) 

When it comes to choosing the healthiest ingredients for your taco salad, go with lean meats like chicken or shrimp and top with loads of fresh, organic vegetables. When it comes to the crunch, opt for lighter or grain-free versions of tortilla chips, like baked instead of fried chips, or swap out for cassava chips.

Let’s talk about the dressing. Typical dressings for taco salads include sour cream-based- or creamy ranch-style dressings, like avocado ranch. You can make your dressing a bit healthier by subbing sour cream for Greek yogurt or use lighter dressings like a lime vinaigrette. Here’s another idea: just use salsa or pico de gallo as your dressing and it will have even more of a taco vibe! 

To make a lime vinaigrette for your ultimate taco salad, whisk together ¼ cup of lime juice with 2 tablespoons each of champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and honey—then add salt (or Tajín) and pepper to taste. Queso lovers: you can swap the mustard for sour cream if you’re craving some creaminess. 

It’s all about how you prefer it! If you like the meat to be hot and straight from the grill or the pan, mix up the other ingredients and pre-plate (or bowl) the salad, then place the meat on top—so it won’t wilt the crispy lettuce. Otherwise, room temperature or slightly chilled meat is a great alternative.

Iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce are our picks. When shredded, both are classic toppings for typical tacos. That’s because they’re the crispiest lettuces and have a mild flavor that lets the taco ingredients do most of the talking. But don’t be afraid to add a little cabbage—red cabbage or green cabbage—for extra crunch.