Homemade Taco Salad

One day after we had gone to Carl's Jr. for a rare lunch out, Nick ordered the taco salad.  I sat there looking at it and I told him that I bet I could make it and that it would be better (and cheaper) then the one he always gets from Carl's. 

So he put me to the test.  The first time I used it, he was amazed at how much he liked my version of the salad...and now I'm going to share my recipe with you!

Cooked Meat

First thing I did was I started browning and flavoring the meat.  You can use any kind of ground meat you like, but I just used the beef.  I often will just use the Taco seasoning packet with a little of the HOT taco seasoning, since Nick likes his food spicy.  But you can also use any type of seasonings that you prefer.  Tonight I made my meat with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, carne asada seasoning mix, and a little bit of Enchilada HOT sauce.  I brown it until all the sauce is gone and then set it aside.  Thankfully ground beef is the type of food that can be left alone while you work on other things.

Pre-cooked tortilla

Next I moved on to the tortilla's.  Rather then spend six dollars on pre-made tortilla shells, I made my own.  I have my sister, Nicole, to thanks for how to make a nice crispy corn tortilla without frying it in oil.  I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then I placed some Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a bowl and then used a pastry brush to lightly brush the oil on the tortilla's.  You want to make sure that you oil both sides of the tortilla and then you can even season to taste.  A little salt and pepper will go a long way!  Once I had them oiled I placed them in the oven and just kept a watch on them.  Sometimes you can turn them every once and while, but I just left mine alone. 

Bean Mixture

Once the tortilla's where crisp to my liking I took them out to let them cool.  Now it's time to move on to the bean mixture.  Now there is no right or wrong way to make the mixture.  It's really all about what you like best.  I use three different kinds of canned beans (doesn't need to be the name brand...using the store brand is just as fine and even cheaper!) - black beans, red beans, and pinto beans.  I drain the beans in a colander and let them sit.  I then add some canned tomatoes (but I'm sure fresh will work just as well!) and olives. 

You could also add onions, but since I don't like onions I choose to leave them out.  Although often I will add onions to my husband's meat because he does happen to like onions.

Once you have all that, I add a lettuce, little shredded cheese, sour cream, and some salsa to make my salad.  You could also take your tortilla's and crush them up to make a chip-like salad. 

The finished look!

Overall for this entire meal I spent under $10 to get this meal made.  In my house we always have tortilla's, cheese, salsa, canned beans, and olives in the house, so it can make shopping easier.  But like I said, you can made your salad any way you like.  This is just the version we like in this house!  I hope you enjoy my version of homemade taco salad!  It's cheaper, healthier, and something light for those who really don't want a heavy meal.  And for you non-meat eaters (like me!) using the beans is a good way to get some substance and protein!