Taco salad is a relatively simple meal that my family enjoys on busy weekdays. This nourishing meal is full of healthy fats, protein, and veggies. Although the taco meat is best with fresh onion and garlic, I've also included substitutions for a busy night when dinner needs to get on the table quickly. In that case, dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Taco Salad
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-25 minutes
Total Time: 25-40 minutes
For the meat:
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 Tb filtered water
1 pound ground beef, preferably grassfed
3 fresh cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tb butter, beef tallow or refined coconut oil
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1&1/2 tsp fresh minced oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1&1/2 tsp dried cumin
3/4 tsp dried paprika
On a busy night, you can substitute 1 Tb onion powder for the onion, 1/2 tsp garlic powder for the fresh garlic, and omit the butter/tallow/oil, and skip Steps 1-3 below.
For the salad:
1 head of lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, or Romaine would work)
4 ounces of cheddar cheese
1 green onion, sliced
2 avocados
salsa
sour cream
Chop the onion.
Melt the butter (or beef tallow or refined coconut oil) in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and a little sprinkle of salt. Saute for 5 minutes. It's ideal if the onion takes on a bit of browned, caramelized color while cooking.
Add 3 Tb filtered water to the skillet. This will speed up the cooking process and allow the onion to soften quickly. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing all of the water to cook off.
While the onion cooks, prepare your lettuce. This quick-and-easy method works very well for washing and drying lettuce. Arrange the lettuce on dinner plates.
Add a few dollops of sour cream and salsa to each plate of lettuce.
Mince the fresh oregano.
Crumble the ground beef into the skillet. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and paprika. Stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beef is nearly done.
Meanwhile, mince the garlic and shred the cheddar cheese.
Add the fresh garlic to the beef and cook for another minute or two, stirring as needed to make sure the garlic gets lightly cooked. Turn off heat.
Slice the green onion and cube the avocados. Sprinkle the green onion over each plate of lettuce. Add 1/2 an avocado to each plate.
Add the taco meat to each plate, top with shredded cheese, and serve!
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