Beef Taco Salad Bowls with Avocado Crema

Taco salad bowls are one of the easiest weeknight dinners that is sure to please everyone! Simple yet tons of flavour. Simplify using store-bought seasoning and salsa or make it all on yourself – either way it’s ready in under an hour.

These taco salad bowls are a bit of a step up from pre-packaged taco seasoning and sour cream. Instead of a pre-made mix we make our own seasoning, avocado crema replaces the sour cream, and the rest can be as complex or as simple as you like!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• As easy or as complicated as you like! Don’t have time to make seasoning? Replace with taco seasoning packets. Don’t want to clean the blender? Either use an immersion blender (my new fave!), plain sour cream or mix sour cream with a splash of hot sauce and lime juice to make a spicy crema. Store bought salsa? Sure!
• Impressive flavour while being relatively simple to make. I had similar taco salad bowls at a friends place a couple years ago and we absolutely devoured them! I was surprised at how simple they were yet boasting so much flavour!
• Adaptable to use with ground turkey or regular ground beef. The more fat you have in your meat, the less oil you’ll want to use to cook it. If the meat is high in fat, drain the extra fat out (into a container not the sink) too keep it from being too oily and use 1/4 lb more meat.
• Great for meal prep. Either prep ahead or make a large batch so you have leftovers! When I send this to work with my husband, I put the lettuce in an extra large container (we call it a trough) and place a seperate container inside it with the other fresh ingredients, another for salsa and sauce, and then a final microwave safe container for the meat. Don’t forget the chips!
• Less mess than taco night. I hate messy food. Eating these delicious taco salad bowls ensures you have a bit of everything in each bite and you don’t have to go through 5 napkins at dinner eating hard shell tacos.
• Make your own bowl. For fussy eaters, everyone has the option to top their own bowl and have as little or as much as they like.
• Make 1.5x or double batches. But make sure you cook the meat in 2-3 batches if you want it to brown. Stir it all together again at the end with the seasoning to warm through and finish cooking.

Tips for Success

• Prep more toppings than you think you need. People will go through a lot more lettuce than you think. Have lots ready at the table so you’re not getting up to refill the bowls while eating.
• Soak your lettuce in cold water before washing and drying – you’ll be surprised how much it crisps up.
• Preheat your skillet and don’t stir your meat for a minute or two so it gets nice and brown. Let your skillet heat up again between batches (if doubling recipe).
• If you have the time and ingredients – make homemade! Trust me when I say that homemade salsa is an absolute game-changer when it comes to taco salad. When tomatoes are in season we love making fresh salsa to amplify the flavours in our bowls. Try my Pico de Gallo as a tasty addition!

How to Make Taco Salad Bowls

Prep the Toppings and Ingredients

Prep your taco seasoning, avocado crema, and any homemade sauces/salsas you’d like before starting the beef.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (or sub 1 package Taco Seasoning ~ 3 tbsp)

In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cornstarch, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes/cayenne, ¼ tsp Mexican oregano and stir well to combine. Set aside until ready to use.

Feel free to make a massive batch and set some aside for future taco nights!

Avocado Crema

In a narrow base blender pitcher (or use a narrow container or an immersion blender), add the flesh of 1 avocado, 2 tbsp sour cream, 1 jalapeño (stemmed and seeded (if desired), 5-6 sprigs of cilantro (including the stems), 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 garlic clove, ⅛ cumin, and ¼ tsp fine sea salt.

Blend on low for 30 seconds to mascerate all of the ingredients. Scrape down the sides if necessary and then blend again, working your way up to high for another 30 seconds until it’s a cohesive sauce. Taste for salt and adjust. Set in the fridge until ready to use.

Cooking the Taco Meat

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp tallow/oil and then 1 ¼ lbs extra-lean ground beef. Sprinkle 1 ¼ tsp of kosher salt over the meat. Cook undisturbed for a minute or two until deeply browned on the bottom, then flip it and break it up into smaller pieces. If you 1.5x or 2x the recipe, always use a bit more oil and 1 lb for 1 tsp kosher salt for seasoning.

Turn down the heat to medium and continue breaking up the beef, stirring and cooking until no pink remains. Add in the taco seasoning (above) and ¼ cup water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another minute or two until the meat is fully cooked and the water has thickened/evapourated.

Serve

Have everyone assemble their own bowls – calories are for 2 cups lettuce, ¼ of the meat, ¼ cup cheddar, ¼ of the avocado crema, and ~12 tortilla chips. Adjust and add additional ingredients as desired.

Looking for More Mexican Recipes?

Try my Easy Salsa Verde Braised Pork Tostadas served with Fresh and Easy Guacamole and Summer Mexican Rice. For meatless monday’s enjoy my Quick and Easy Black Bean Burrito Bowl with Pico de Gallo.