Friday’s got me feelin’ TACOS. Honestly, I’m down for tacos almost every day of the week, usually for dinner. But if I’m really feelin’ that desire for tacos, I throw this healthier taco salad on the weekly meal plan for lunch. This may be one of my favorite salad recipes of all time, and I know those I share it with usually say the same, which is why it’s about time it made its way onto the Relative Redhead Blog!
Lately, I just don’t consume a whole lot of ground beef, even if it’s grass fed. I can tell that my body has trouble digesting it more than other meats, so whenever I can, I try to use ground turkey or bison instead of ground beef. For this salad, we use ground turkey cooked with our favorite taco seasoning blend. But that’s just one part of this “deconstructed taco” bowl! You’re also throwing in some black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, diced avocados, green onions, THE WORKS! Sounds like a lot but they all tie in nicely and are easy to throw in. Of course, you also have some chopped romaine for the main crunch, and you can top with some cheddar shreds, cilantro, and even some crushed tortilla chips! We love Siete’s grain free tortilla chips!
Probably my favorite part about this salad, though, is the suuuuper simple and delicious dressing! It’s just salsa + plain yogurt, and it tastes delicious!!! Totally rounds out this salad and sticks with the taco theme, of course. I honestly don’t even measure out the dressing; I just pour my favorite salsa in a bowl and add a dollop of yogurt, mix, and drizzle it on the salad. Nothing better than a quick-to-make dressing. Best part about taco salads, too, are that you can tweak it easily to your liking! Want sour cream? Throw it on! Like shredded chicken instead of turkey? That works too! Don’t eat corn? Skip it! There’s really nothing more to taco ’bout, so let’s whip this up!
Turkey Taco Salad
Ingredients
Taco Salad:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb ground turkey 93% lean
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 head of romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium avocado diced
- 1 cup cilantro leaves loosely packed
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and break up the meat while stirring with a spoon, until it is cooked through (about 5 minutes).
- In a small bowl, stir together the salsa and yogurt for the dressing. Set aside.
- Chop the romaine and place it into a large serving bowl. Add in your fixings–turkey, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, chopped cilantro, cheese, and green onions–and toss lightly to combine.
- Drizzle dressing over top or toss it with the above ingredients in the serving bowl. Serve with crunched up tortilla tips on top, if you choose. Enjoy!
