Taco Of The Town Taco Salad Recipes

BEST TACO SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Start with the taco meat.** Brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet on the stove, over medium heat. Break up the meat into small pieces. Once it is no longer pink (3-5 minutes), remove from heat. Tilt the pan and scoop the grease into a foil-lined bowl (then refrigerate and toss when solidified). Return the pan back to the stove and set over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup Premium McCormick's taco seasoning. (Or a regular taco packet will do. See notes for a homemade recipe.) Add 3/4 cup water to the pan. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Turn off the heat when there is still thickened liquid at the bottom of the pan. If you cook until all the liquid has evaporated, you will have dry taco meat; no thanks. Set aside and keep warm, covered.
• Prep the lettuce and herbs. Chop the romaine into bite size pieces and dry in a salad spinner (or dry off with paper towels). Add 1/2 cup chopped green onions and 1 bunch of chopped cilantro. Spin to mix, or add to a large bowl and toss together.
• Prep your toppings. Grate 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Chop 1 and 1/2 cups tomatoes. Thinly slice 8 radishes. Dice half a red onion. Chop 2 avocados (or make a quick guacamole with them by adding a bit of lime and salt). Thaw out 1 cup of frozen corn (I usually stick it in the microwave for 20 seconds and then let it finish thawing on the counter). Slice 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers. Crush some Juanitas or Fritos, but leave some whole for garnishing.

TACO OF THE TOWN TACO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook beef, onions, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno in a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir often and break up large pieces of meat as it cooks. Do not drain. Sprinkle taco seasoning over beef, then add broth and ketchup. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium and let mixture cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Gently toss together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Note: This salsa tastes best if made just before serving
• Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To assemble salad (either individual servings or on a large platter), layer ingredients in the following order: lettuce, hot Taco Beef mixture, corn, black beans, cheese, Spiced Sour Cream drizzle, Chunky Avocado Salsa, cheese, Spiced Sour Cream drizzle.
• Mix 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil with ¼ to ½ tsp Taco Seasoning mix.
• Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of 6 small whole grain tortillas with oil mixture. Press tortillas into deep disposable tin bowls. Bake at 400ºF for 8 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool. Tortillas will crisp as they cool. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Note: Tortillas must be very fresh (soft) in order for this to work. They can be microwaved for a few seconds to soften if necessary.
• Mix all ingredients together. Makes enough seasoning for this recipe. You may wish to double the recipe and store the leftover seasoning in an air-tight container for future use.