Taco Salad

My Mom and Dad got me started on these. This dinner is a staple in their house. It is so quick to pull together for a weeknight meal, and you only have the one pot to clean. It uses my recipe for Taco Meat that I used in the Corn and Black Bean Burritos. And don't forget to make a little extra to use for Taco Puffs another night! This week Publix has their Tostitos chips B1G1. I have the beans, meat and cheese leftover from previous weeks' sales. The corn I put in the meat was what I had leftover from the Corn Muffins last night. Buy ground beef when it is on sale and put it in the freezer in 1 lb. portions. I take mine out the freezer when I'm ready to cook. Place it in a skillet frozen, cover it with a lid and cook over medium. Flip occassionally and scrape off the meat as it browns. Crumble with the back of a wooden spoon. Works every time!



Taco Meat: (for 4-6 taco salads)

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn, drained (optional)
3/4 cup salsa


Taco Salad:

Taco Meat
Tostitos Corn Chips
Shredded Cheese
Iceburg Lettuce, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avacado+ Lime (optional)

Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook over medium heat about 3-5 minutes. Add in the beans, corn and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes. This really allows the flavors to combine.

Take a handful of chips and put in the bottom of a plate or large pasta bowl and crush with your fingers. This makes the "bed" for the salad. Top with taco meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and then salsa. If you have avocado on hand, chop it up with a squeeze of lime juice and put on top of the salad. So good!


Enjoy!


Thanks Mom!