Chopped Taco Salad With Homemade Avocado Ranch Dressing
This chopped taco salad is packed with flavor and fresh ingredients for a delicious meal. The easy homemade avocado ranch is the perfect dressing to complement this salad!
Servings: 4
Calories: 481kcal
Ingredients
For the taco meat:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the salad:
- 1, 14.5 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed)
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 bell pepper, small diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- Optional for serving: shredded cheese, tortilla chips or tortilla strips, chopped fresh cilantro, fresh lime
For the avocado ranch dressing: (or use your favorite store-bought)
- 1 medium avocado
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ cup ranch dressing (we recommend Bolthouse Farms or Primal Kitchen)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt + more to taste
- ½ of a small jalapeño, more or less according to spice preference
Instructions
- Heat the olive or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground meat to the pan and break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked and no longer pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and kosher salt to the meat and stir until the meat is evenly coated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Chop the lettuce. Drain and rinse the black beans (and corn if using canned). Cut the bell pepper, tomatoes, and red onion. Prepare any other desired toppings.
- Next, make the dressing. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
- For serving, add the lettuce, then ground meat, toppings, and dressing. You can serve in one large bowl or as individual servings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Save Time:
- Use pre-chopped lettuce.
- Use your favorite store-bought ranch dressing.
- Prep Ahead
- You can prepare the meat ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days prior to using. You can also freeze the meat for 3-4 months.
- You can prepare the avocado ranch dressing ahead of time and store in the fridge for 2-3 days prior to using (although we recommend using it day of for best results).
- Prepare the toppings ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until serving the salad.
- We recommend storing the taco meat, lettuce and toppings, and dressing all in a separate container and in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.
- This recipe is gluten-free. It can be dairy-free with the use of dairy-free ranch dressing and the omission of cheese from the toppings. It is not vegan or vegetarian, but can be by swapping the taco meat for beans and seasoning them instead.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Chopped Taco Salad." The nutrition is calculated using Bolthouse Farms Ranch. The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
Nutrition
Serving: 1salad + dressing | Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.6g | Protein: 31.8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.6g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 1416mg | Potassium: 1268mg | Fiber: 14.9g | Sugar: 9.1g
