Paleo Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
9Taco 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 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.
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.
- 2-3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 3 tbsp sliced black olives
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 8 oz. ground beef
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 avocado, pit removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
- 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.
- 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.
- Servings: 2
- Difficulty: Easy
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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!
That’s great! Thanks Kathi! And best of luck on your Paleo journey.
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.
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.).
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?
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!
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!!!
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!!!
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 🙂