Layered Taco Salad

Easy to make and full of delicious flavor, this simple layered taco salad is a fun twist on classic Mexican favorites.

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Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Servings8

This simple layered taco salad is loaded with flavor! Seasoned ground beef, fresh veggies, beans, taco seasoning, cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips are put together for a hearty and tasty dinner option the whole family will love.

Layered Taco Salad Ingredients

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If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine and love a good salad, then layered taco salad is the perfect dish for you.

Not only does it look impressive with its layers of colorful ingredients, but it also packs an incredible amount of flavor in every bite.

From the creamy dressing to the savory beef and crunchy tortilla chips, every ingredient in this salad will leave you craving more.

You’ll need:

For The Salad:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, diced finely
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles, drained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning mix or homemade taco seasoning
• 2 (15-ounce) cans of refried beans
• ⅛ cup of water
• 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cored, chopped, and dried
• 1½ cups of your favorite salsa
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
• ⅓ cup of sliced black olives, drained
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
• Tortilla chips

For The Ranch Sour Cream:

• 1⅔ cups of sour cream
• ⅓ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 packet of ranch dry dressing mix

Substitutions And Additions

CHIPS: Use flavored tortilla chips to add an extra kick to your dish.

CORN: Add corn into the layers.

PEPPERS: I love adding chopped green or red bell pepper on top of this before serving.

GUACAMOLE: You can never go wrong with a little guacamole… yum!

BACON: Cook and crumble some bacon to add on top because bacon makes everything better!

SPICE: Don’t love heat? Leave out the jalapeños.

GROUND MEAT: Ground turkey or ground pork are two great alternatives to ground beef.

How To Make This Layered Taco Salad Recipe

Once you make the creamy dressing and cook the seasoned onions and beef, you can follow our directions below to create the tasty layers in this salad.

STEP ONE: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, and ranch dry dressing mix. Whisk together until well combined. Cover with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to allow it to set fully.

STEP TWO: In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain grease and return the beef back to the skillet.

STEP THREE: Add onion and minced garlic and cook with the beef for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onions are tender. Add 1 can of drained Rotel and taco seasoning to the beef mixture and stir well.

Cook until all liquid has evaporated. Remove from the skillet, place in a glass bowl, and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Cover the glass bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.

STEP FIVE: In a separate saucepan, add the refried beans and water. Stir well. Cook over medium heat until the beans are cooked through. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Place in a separate glass bowl and place in the refrigerator until the taco meat is finished chilling, about 1 to 2 hours.

STEP SIX: In a 9×13-inch dish, use a spatula to make even layers in this order; Ground beef mixture, refried beans, half of the lettuce, half of the ranch sour cream, the rest of the lettuce, remaining ranch sour cream, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced olives, green onions, chopped tomatoes, then chopped jalapeños.

How To Serve This Layered Taco Salad Recipe With Ground Beef

This layered salad is an easy dinner idea for Taco Tuesday. Serve with tortilla chips on the side, along with our Spanish rice or Mexican corn salad, for a complete meal.

Don’t forget to offer everyone salsa, sour cream, and guacamole along with this dish.

Our Mexican casserole and Mexican beef and rice casserole are both loaded with plenty of flavors for a hearty meal.

MORE MEXICAN DISH RECIPES

Soups & Stews

Taco Soup Recipe

Lunch

Spinach Artichoke Quesadillas

Storing This Mexican Salad Recipe

Let’s have a look at how to store leftovers of the salad so that you can enjoy it the next day.

IN THE FRIDGE: This tasty layered taco salad recipe is the very best when served and eaten immediately. It will keep in the fridge, but the lettuce won’t be as crisp the next day.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing this salad as all the crispy layers will become soggy.

Ground beef taco salad is a great meal for family taco night. Loaded with every possible taco topping and filling you can think of, there is so much deliciousness and plenty of satisfying crunch in all of the layers of this yummy layered taco salad.

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Layered Taco Salad

5 from 4 votes

Easy to make and full of delicious flavor, this simple layered taco salad is a fun twist on classic Mexican favorites.

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8

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Ingredients

  

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Salad

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, diced finely
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles, drained
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
• 30 ounces refried beans (two 15-ounce cans)
• ⅛ cup water
• 1½ cups your favorite salsa
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• ⅓ cup sliced black olives
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
• Tortilla chips

Ranch Sour Cream

• 1⅔ cups sour cream
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1 packet ranch dry dressing mix

Instructions

 

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and ranch dry dressing mix. Whisk together until well combined. Cover with saran wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to allow it to set fully.
• In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain grease and return beef back to the skillet. Use a potato masher to break meat into small pieces.
• Add onion and minced garlic and cook with the beef for 5 to 7 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add 1 can of drained Rotel and taco seasoning to the beef mixture and stir well. Cook until all liquid has evaporated. Remove from the skillet and place in a glass bowl and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
• Cover the glass bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.
• In a separate saucepan, add the refried beans and water. Stir well. Cook over medium heat until beans are cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Place in a separate glass bowl and place in the refrigerator until the taco meat is finished chilling, about 1 to 2 hours.
• In a 9×13-inch dish, use a spatula to make even layers in this order; ground beef mixture, refried beans, half of the lettuce, half of the ranch sour cream, the rest of the lettuce, remaining ranch sour cream, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced olives, green onions, chopped tomatoes, then hopped jalapeños

Video

Notes

• You can batch cook ground beef ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer for use later. This makes for a quicker prep time.
• Use a potato masher to break meat into small pieces. You don’t want big chunks of meat in your salad so make sure the pieces are nice and small.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 739mg | Potassium: 673mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1436IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 307mg | Iron: 3mg

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