Taco Salad - Taking It Easy


Growing up my brothers used to have taco eating contests. Wow, could they put away a lot of tacos! We loved taco night. I still do and probably have taco night more often as an adult than when I was younger.

When I was in college I tried my first taco salad. It was from Taco Bell. Taco Bell because I was in college and it was cheap. Normally I went for the (back then) 59 cent burrito. But for whatever the reason on that day I splurged. The shell was crispy and they filled it with only what I wanted in it. Perfect!

The great thing is the taco salad can be easily done at home. I normally buy a taco salad shell kit but could not find it at the stores here. Next best thing is to do it myself. I didn't deep fry it, but baked it. Even better!

Each person is different but here is some of the things that go in ours:
Ground beef - plain or seasoned
Refried beans
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Taco Sauce
Flour tortillas

Of course these are so versatile you can add guacamole, olives or whatever other topping you might like. We're pretty plain around here and like to keep things simple.

When you chop up the vegetables there is no need to be fancy, just put them in storage containers so when you're done you can just pop the lid on and toss them in the fridge. Clean up is half way done.






Brown your ground beef and if you like the meat seasoned (I don't.) use a packet of taco seasoning and follow the directions on the packet. It's usually just a little water, the seasoning and simmering for a few minutes.
Now for the bowls. Preheat the oven to 350F. Find an oven proof bowl that your shell will fit over. I used a small stainless steel bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Put the bowl on a baking sheet.
Press the tortilla over the bowl and pinch the tortilla to make it the shape of the bowl.
 Bake for 12-15 minutes until turning lightly brown and crispy.
Carefully remove from bowl, use tongs if needed but shell cools fast.
Now create your masterpiece.
I start with refried beans on the bottom, then cheese ( I like it melted) and ground beef.

Add lettuce and whatever other toppings you might like and enjoy.

Comments

Ellie said…
Now that looks good, I'm going to try the shell thing. I might have to do a Taco night before the week is out.... yumm! I'm inspired.