• Home
  • Recipes
  • Paleo Diet Meal Plan
  • Getting Started
  • LEARN
    • What is the Paleo Diet?
    • Paleo Diet Foods List
    • Foods to Avoid
    • Benefits
  • Resources for Bloggers
  • FREE Desserts eBook

Paleo Grubs

Paleo Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

9
  • by Rebecca Bohl
  • in Salad

Taco salad used to be my go-to dinner when I was working 9 to 5 every day. It was really easy to throw together based on whatever was in my pantry. Also, I usually cooked enough taco meat to have some as leftovers to make the next day’s lunch or dinner even easier. Here I have adapted the classic taco ingredients into a salad for a quick and healthy weeknight meal.

Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing- yum!

Taco night was a weekly occurrence when I was growing up, with all of the toppings set out for everyone to assemble their own. My taste in tacos has come a long way from when I was a kid though. I used to assemble some meat and cheese topped with sour cream, wrapped up in a tortilla. Yikes. My taco preferences have certainly taken a turn for the better, no more cheese or sour cream or even tortillas necessary. The key is in the creamy dressing.

The avocado dressing provides some extra healthy fats and brightness to the salad. The lime juice and cilantro provide a refreshing flavor that really brings the taco salad together. It takes about a minute to blend, and tastes good either at room temperature or chilled. You can store any extra dressing in the refrigerator for the next meal. Just wait to dress the salad until right before you’re ready to eat it so that the lettuce doesn’t get soggy on you. The taco seasoning can also be made ahead of time in large batches and stored, or you can combine the different seasonings while you cook the meat.

taco salad ingredients
taco salad with dressing
salad with dressing

This substantial yet simple salad can easily be a filling lunch or dinner. It can also be made vegetarian by simply omitting the ground beef, though I would perhaps add more veggies, such as tomatoes. It takes very little time to assemble, which is great for rushed lunches, or weeknights when you don’t feel like cooking a big dinner. This salad is easy to put together no matter what your schedule.

Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressign
2013-12-02 11:52:23
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
For the salad
  1. 2-3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
  2. 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  3. 3 tbsp sliced black olives
  4. 3 green onions, chopped
  5. 8 oz. ground beef
  6. 1 tsp chili powder
  7. 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  8. 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  9. 1/8 tsp dried oregano
  10. 1/8 tsp paprika
  11. Salt and pepper, to taste
For the dressing
  1. 1/2 avocado, pit removed
  2. 2 tbsp olive oil
  3. 1 tbsp lime juice
  4. 1 clove garlic, minced
  5. 1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  6. 1 tbsp water
  7. Pinch of salt
Directions
  1. To make the dressing, blend the ingredients with an immersion blender or in a regular blender and process until smooth. Add more water if necessary to reach desired consistency, and taste for seasoning. Set aside.
  2. Cook ground beef with seasonings over medium heat. Assemble salad by combining all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Top with dressing to serve.
Notes
  1. Servings: 2
  2. Difficulty: Easy
By Rebecca Bohl (PaleoGrubs.com)
Paleo Grubs http://paleogrubs.com/

Want more Paleo recipes? Take a look at the Paleo Grubs Book. With 470+ easy-to-prepare Paleo recipes in 17 comprehensive categories it is the only Paleo book you will ever need.

+ Make sure to sign up for our free newsletter to get our latest healthy recipes delivered weekly (it's free).

Share

— Rebecca Bohl

Rebecca Bohl is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in food and travel. She currently resides in Washington, D.C. Rebecca became interested in the Paleo diet in 2012, focusing on natural, unprocessed foods, and has been hooked ever since. She loves to share new recipes that not only taste great but are also good for you.

  • Previous story Easy Homemade Gluten-Free Energy Bars
  • Next story 10 Best Paleo Diet Cookbooks

You may also like...

  • salad in a jar recipe Simple Paleo Salad-in-a-Jar with Mustard Vinaigrette 16 Feb, 2015
  • Cauliflower Tabbouleh- super healthy & delicious. Delicious & Healthy Cauliflower Tabbouleh 14 Oct, 2013
  • Avocado tomato salad is full of the goodness only avocado can bring to a dish! The Best Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Salad Ever 18 Feb, 2017
  • Grilled Veggie Salad Platter- this makes a delicious and wholesome lunch or quick meal. Love it! Grilled Veggie Salad Platter with Lime Sauce 1 Jul, 2014

9 Comments

  1. Kathi Shepard says:
    April 5, 2014 at 1:46 am

    just started paleo 2 weeks ago, and I feel better every day! Not much weight loss yet, but I am not concerned about it. I made this taco salad for dinner tonight, and I can tell it will be a “go-to” recipe from now on! So yummy!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Bohl says:
      May 1, 2014 at 2:04 am

      That’s great! Thanks Kathi! And best of luck on your Paleo journey.

      Reply
    • trish says:
      February 8, 2015 at 11:36 pm

      I WASN’T EITHER, I FOUND OUT YOU HAVE TO CALCULATE YOUR PROTEIN EVERY DAY.

      take your weight and divide by 2.2
      take that number and times by 0.8

      that’s how many grams of protein per day to maintain that weight. eat 5-10 grams less to achieve eight loss.

      Reply
  2. Marie says:
    September 9, 2014 at 10:50 pm

    Tried this tonight; it was very flavorful, even with mild modifications (Instead of romaine, I used an organic 50/50 mix. Instead of lime juice in the dressing, I used lemon. Both worked well for the salad.).

    Reply
  3. Anjelica says:
    February 22, 2015 at 12:27 am

    How long will the avocado dressing keep? For example, could I double the dressing to make enough for lunch the next day, or will the avocado in the dressing turn brown and be unusable?

    Reply
  4. Aurora says:
    March 28, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    Tried this and absolute hit! We made a double of the dressing and used it for a dressing over Quinoa with cilantro lime chicken. AMAZING!

    Reply
  5. Nicole says:
    July 17, 2015 at 11:09 pm

    Wow! I am not the best cook, and only started Paleo yesterday, but with was an excellent introduction to the diet! If everything is this tasty I am never going to miss wheat and diary! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  6. Katie says:
    December 5, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    Thank you for a great recipe. We have had many taco salads, but the creamy addition of the avocado dressing made this over the top. Love your site and thank you for all your recipes!!!

    Reply
  7. Kat says:
    December 29, 2015 at 8:32 am

    This is tonight’s dinner.
    We’ve had a hard afternoon at the water park and this is an easy and quick dinner.
    Thanks for helping me convert my family to paleo 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Getting Started with the Paleo Diet

  • Recent Posts

    • Spinach Crepes with Creamy Mushroom Filling
    • Roasted Parsnip Fries (A Tastier, Healthier French Fry Substitute)
    • Strawberry Banana Smoothie for a Quick Breakfast or Healthy Treat
    • Refreshing Melon Gazpacho (Try This Magical Cold Soup)
    • Slow Cooked Pork Burrito Bowls with Homemade Coleslaw
  • Paleo Recipes: By Meal and Category

    How to Start a Paleo Blog

    Paleo Diet Food List: What You Can and Cannot Eat on the Paleo Diet

    14 Day Paleo Meal Plan

    100 Best Paleo Recipes

    Paleo Diet FAQ: Answers to 267 Important Paleo Questions

Copyright 2014-2016 PaleoGrubs.com | Privacy Policy