Turkey Taco Salad
A photo of Monday night's dinner.
I love taco salad. I still remember the first time I ate it at my aunt's house. I couldn't believe the flavor explosions happening in my mouth. I think I was 12 and my life was changed forever. My aunt's salad was made with ground beef sauteed with taco seasoning mix and tossed with Wishbone Italian dressing...which I still love to this day.
Over the years, I must have made a hundred variations on the theme. In my opinion, to make a really great taco salad all you need is a protein, some cheese, some beans, lettuce, dressing, and corn chips. Everything else is embellishment. I like embellishment in the form of olives, chopped onions and tomatoes, diced avocado, a scattering of fresh cilantro leaves, and maybe some sliced jalapeños.
For this week's salad, the protein was garlic roasted turkey, the cheese was Spanish manchego, the beans were white beans, the lettuce was romaine, and the dressing was homemade ranch (much prefer the mix-it-yourself packets to the bottle) mixed with salsa (about 3 parts dressing to one part salsa). I also added chopped green onions and cilantro. I know I'll be making this one again.
I love taco salad! I also agree about the "homemade" ranch, made with the packets, and it must be the buttermilk type! My dad always tells me "no one makes better ranch dressing than you do" and I laugh!
Posted by: Kalyn | January 17, 2008 at 06:39 AM
yum. do your girls eat this for dinner too? i know they are 'good eaters' like my girls but i'm not sure they would get enough from this....perhaps with a side of whole wheat pasta or something.
Posted by: porter | January 17, 2008 at 05:26 PM
The version that you described your Aunt making is the same one I grew up on..except we used Wishbone 1000 Island! (Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but damn, it was good)
We made a taco salad last night, but I didn't have any meat in the fridge. We grilled some onions, used firm tofu cubes, and added the obligatory (Hot!) Taco Seasoning for the protein portion. The rest was very similar to yours. It was DAYUM good.
I also use Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs from time to time, if that's what I have on hand. With the taco seasoning thrown in, it strangely tastes like beef!
Posted by: Lisa | January 17, 2008 at 07:51 PM
This sounds like a great and healthier option for taco salad. As for the dressing- add a couple of shakes of taco seasoning to your ranch for a little Mexican zing!
Posted by: Deborah Dowd | January 22, 2008 at 04:09 AM
We prefer the ranch in the packets too. Question though, what brand do you use. Our favorite kind seems to have been discontinued and our stash is gone.
Thanks, Beth
Posted by: Beth | January 22, 2008 at 04:29 PM
i know this is a little late, but i just came across your website today. :) it's great, by the way! anywho, i used to work at this restaurant where we used to mix ranch dressing (we used the dry mix and mayo) and sweet chili sauce together. the only one that i found that really tastes great, is the Caravelle Sweet Chili Sauce. i tried another brand once (once being the key word) and it wasn't all that delicious. along with the dressing we added salad greens, avocado, tomaotes, cheddar cheese, chicken, and black beans. i pretty much lived off that salad for months! if you ever try it, i'd love to hear what you think of it. :) enjoy!
Posted by: elisa | January 25, 2008 at 05:48 AM
A friend shared the Basic Taco Salad recipe with me, only she added a small pkg of unthawed frozen corn to the ground beef while it cooked.The rest of the recipe was the same. Any way you can add extra veggies to something the kids will eat, always a hit! This is an excellent recipe and so easy. Everyone loves this stuff! It keeps well if you like leftovers, except for the chips of course. YUM
Posted by: Patti | July 22, 2008 at 07:49 PM
Looks delicious. From the picture it seems you also added some tortilla pieces?
Posted by: taco recipe | May 07, 2009 at 10:11 AM