Let’s kick taco night up a notch! Variations of this recipe have been a staple in my cooking repertoire since college. It is so quick, so easy and so tasty. I’m sure everyone has a “taco salad” recipe in their family cook book, but why not take it to the next level and serve it in a tortilla bowl to make it extra special! The great thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to suit your family…more tomatoes, ground beef, ground turkey or rotisserie chicken, different lettuce, less cheese. It’s all up to you! I love taking a recipe and tweaking it just enough to turn it into the perfect dish for my family.
This taco salad alone is fantastic, but why not make it a special meal and surprise the family with tortilla bowls to serve it in. They are so easy to make. I think I bought the molds for making these bowls some time in the 90’s… :-P! If you don’t have them, any oven proof bowl will do. Just decide how large you want the bowls to be, spray them with cooking spray, gently form the tortilla to the bowl and bake. (see recipe for complete instructions) If your kids are old enough, why not put them in charge of making the bowls…one step at a time, you will have them on their way to cooking the entire family meal.
Shape tortilla bowls in molds or oven proof bowls.
Bake until golden.
Cut avocado into a crisscross pattern then gently scoop out using a large spoon.
- 4 large flour tortillas
- cooking spray
- 1 pound ground beef (or use a rotisserie chicken breast, diced)
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-4 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (to your taste)
- 1-2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried and ripped or cut into bite size pieces
- 1-2 tomatoes, diced
- 1-2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese, (I prefer Monterey Jack or Cheddar)
- 1 avocado, diced (check out my pics on how to do this quickly and easily)
- handful of tortilla chips, crushed to bite size pieces
- ¼-1/2 jar of your favorite salsa
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Wrap tortillas in slightly damp paper towels.
- Place in microwave for 20-30 seconds until softened and pliable.
- If using the molds, place into center of mold and push down to form into the mold.
- If using your own oven proof bowl, spray bowl with nonstick cooking spray and gently form tortilla into bowl, folding in places if necessary to create the bowl shape.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. (if the center is still soft, continue to bake until crisp and lightly browned.)
- Start by cooking the ground beef in a large pan over medium high heat. Once cooked through, add taco seasoning mix and a couple tablespoons of water, stirring to combine completely.
- Turn off heat and add drained and rinsed black beans to meat. Stir. Let sit.
- If using romaine lettuce, prepare lettuce and add to a large salad bowl. (I find that when I use iceberg lettuce, I end up with a soggy salad, so I prefer romaine which stays crisp and gives a good crunch to the salad)
- Add tomatoes, green onions, avocado and shredded cheese.
- Pour in the salsa and toss well before adding ground beef mixture and crushed tortilla chips.
- Toss salad.
- Place tortilla bowls on individual plates and fill with taco salad. Enjoy!
