Mmmmh… tacos!
As controversial as this may sound: for as much as we love tacos, we love taco salads just as much! Think about it: the extra lettuce makes it just a little bit healthier for you and enjoying your taco “salad style” makes it easier to eat on the go or packing as lunch for you or the kids.
For tacos and taco salads, we live by one motto: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You don’t need to get fancy to make a great taco salad. Using simple and classic ingredients is all you need. Take this taco salad recipe for instance!
This easy bean taco salad can be served as a casual main dish or as part of a party spread. It calls for lean ground beef, but it works well with ground chicken or turkey, too. Or heck, just use extra Randall Pinto Beans!
Another great thing about taco salad is that you can make the meat and bean mixture in advance, then reheat it just before tossing with the salad ingredients to serve. This makes perfect leftovers and a great answer for packed lunches served with the lettuce in a separate container.
Beans are great, obviously. Seasoned lean beef is great, obviously. But, the real secret weapon of this dish? Cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are much sweeter and firmer than regular beef tomatoes and give the salad extra pop.
We’ve given you the base of this salad, which is terrific on its own, but you can finish off this recipe to meet your own tastes. Use whatever floats your boat: avocado, taco sauce, salsa, hot sauce, cheese sauce, jalapenos, you name it!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
- 1 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup taco sauce (any favorite commercial brand)
- 2 cups Randall Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters and shredded
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups small corn chips
- Extras: Sour cream, jalapenos, salsa, nacho cheese, avocado, ranch dressing, hot sauce, extra taco sauce.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Crumble in the ground beef and cook, stirring, until all of the red is gone. Season with the chili powder and cumin. Stir in the taco sauce and stir until hot and bubbly. Add the beans and cook just until beans are heated through. Add salt and cayenne to taste. (A very small dash of cayenne unless you want it to be very spicy.)
- Toss together the shredded lettuce, onions and cheese and tomatoes in a large bowl. Just before serving toss in the warm beef and bean mixture; then the corn chips.
- Garnish with sour cream, jalapenos, salsa, nacho cheese, avocado, ranch dressing or any other desired toppings.
You can find our delicious Randall Beans all across the mid west. But, what do you do if you can’t find them in your local store? No sweat: you can always order our beans online and have them shipped straight to your door. How awesome is that?!
Score Big with your fans by adding Randall Pinto Beans to any meal.
