Skinny Taco Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing

Skinny Taco Salad is a lean and mean Tex-Mex salad, combining lean ground beef, homemade taco seasoning, fresh veggies, tortilla strips, and a homemade creamy chipotle dressing. Super tasty and healthy too!

My husband and I are originally from Iowa, born and raised. We’ve lived in Texas for over 25 years now, almost half of our lives. So it may be no surprise to you when I say that we LOVE Tex-Mex. Gimme all the tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, guacamole, and margaritas. I like it spicy, while Mike is more of a medium taco lovin’ guy.

If you look below at the nutritional content, you’ll see that ONE LARGE TACO SALAD comes in at under 500 calories. That’s pretty remarkable, considering that it tastes like one big taco. It’s a salad that fills you up, and leaves you thinking about eating another one the following day!

There are so many things about this salad that I absolutely love.

• how the homemade seasoning makes the meat so flavorful (without a bad aftertaste)
• the way the fresh veggies give the perfect crunch
• the color of the tortilla strips, and the salty taste
• the creamy, yet healthy dressing, and that little hit of spice
• the flavor bomb of ALL of these ingredients together 😀

We LOVE taco night, and it’s especially fun when you can tailor each salad to everyones tastes. So if you have picky eaters, you can go light on the veggies and go heavy on the meat, cheese, and tortilla strips. So many things to choose from!

Taco Salad Ingredients:

• the taco meat – use ground beef or turkey
• the fresh veggies – lettuce (any kind), tomatoes, green onions, and avocado
• the canned veggies – black beans and corn
• the cheese
• the tortilla strips (or chips of any kind)
• the creamy chipotle dressing – just a simple mixture of plain greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, and chipotle peppers

My salad? It’s got ALL of these toppings piled high!

If you’re feeding EXTRA picky eaters, go ahead and make up some easy cheese quesadillas too.

• Lay a large flour tortilla on countertop.
• Sprinkle cheese on half of it.
• Fold it over and press down.
• Heat some olive oil in a skillet.
• Lightly brown both sides of tortillas, until the cheese is all melty.
• Cut into wedges, and serve with these taco salads.

Lately, I’ve been making ALL of the taco things.

• Easy Taco Crunch Wraps
• Classic Taco Pizza
• Turkey Taco Soup
• and now this, Skinny Taco Salads

Enjoy!

Make this taco dish next: Easy Taco Crunch Wraps

Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

XOXO ~Sue

5 from 1 vote

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Skinny Taco Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Skinny Taco Salad is a lean and mean Tex-Mex salad, combining lean ground beef, homemade taco seasoning, fresh veggies, tortilla strips, and a homemade creamy chipotle dressing. Super tasty and healthy too!

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: creamy chipotle dressing, easy recipe, skinny taco salad

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 471 kcal

Author: Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the taco meat:

• 1 pound lean ground beef - or ground turkey
• 2 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning - on my site (or use store-bought)
• 1/2 medium jalapeno - diced (optional)

For the salad:

• 10-12 cups romaine lettuce - chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 15 oz. black beans - rinsed and drained
• 8 oz. Mexicorn - drained
• 1 large avocado - diced
• handful of tortilla strips - optional
• cheese quesadilla wedges - optional

For the dressing:

• 10 oz. plain yogurt - or use sour cream
• 1/2 large lime - freshly squeezed
• 2-4 teaspoons diced chipotle peppers in adobe sauce - more for extra spicy
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Mix up the dressing, by combining the yogurt, lime juice, chipotle peppers, and garlic powder. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

2. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add olive oil, ground beef, and diced jalapeños - and cook until meat is browned and cooked through. Add seasoning and cook for another few minutes. Set aside.

3. Assemble the salads in four bowls by arranging the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, black beans, corn, and avocado. Add the taco meat and a drizzle of the dressing. Serve immediately, with tortilla strips and quesadilla wedges (optional).

Recipe Notes

1. Use my homemade taco seasoning for best results.
2. Either ground beef or ground turkey work great in this.
3. Adjust the veggies to your liking. Slices of bell pepper are great in this salad as well.
4. Use any chips you like instead of the tortilla strips.
5. The chipotle peppers add the kick. If you don't like a little spice, use a creamy ranch dressing instead.

Nutrition Facts

Skinny Taco Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 471 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13g 20%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 94mg 31%

Sodium 465mg 19%

Potassium 1370mg 39%

Total Carbohydrates 46g 15%

Dietary Fiber 13g 52%

Sugars 7g

Protein 42g 84%

Vitamin A 215.8%

Vitamin C 22.7%

Calcium 27.2%

Iron 37.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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