A delicious one bowl dinner salad that will fill every tummy and please even the most skeptical of salad eaters.
Big Family Meals
Growing up in a large family was awesome. There was always someone in the bathroom when I needed to go. The best snacks were always eaten before I got to them. My friends always complained that my house was SO loud.
There was also always someone to hang out with when I was lonely. Jobs were shared with a lot of people, so your turn came around a little slower. And my friends knew they could join us for a meal whenever they wanted, because one more mouth, when there were already ten kids at the table, wasn’t a big deal.
My mom knew how to make large batches of everything. She had a couple very large metal bowls that she used often for cooking. This taco salad is one meal that was always served in her special large metal bowl.
Dressing
This is a perfect summer salad because it isn’t a hot meal but is still very filling for days filled with swimming and running around.
When we were growing up, my mom used a mixture of either Catalina dressing or Western dressing and sour cream on this salad.
I make my own dressing now because it allows me to control the ingredients. I don’t use sour cream at all but if you feel like it needs it, add some.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Preparing parts of the salad ahead will make it quick and easy to put together when mealtime hits. Cook and season the meat and then refrigerate it until it is time to assemble the salad.
Making the dressing ahead of time can help the flavors meld together as they sit in the fridge. Wash and chop the lettuce earlier in the day. Smash the chips anytime during the day when you need to release some pent up anger. Ha!
Not fans of Main Dish Salads?
If you are serving this salad to individuals who are not used to eating main dish salads, I will give you a few tips.
- Add more meat. — If your family is used to meat and potato meals, make the salad more meat heavy by adding another half pound of ground beef.
- Have cheese available to sprinkle on top. — A little smattering of cheese encourages some picky eaters to dig in.
- Have chips on the side so they can eat the salad more like a dip. — Dips feel fancy and more controllable for some people.
Mom’s Taco Salad
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1-2 heads of romaine lettuce
1-14 oz can kidney beans
1-14 oz can olives
½ cup tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheese (see note)
Catalina dressing (recipe below), Western style dressing or salsa
Sour cream, optional
1-2 cups smashed chips (or the ones at the end of the bag that are already broken into smaller pieces)
Brown the ground beef. Add the seasonings. Set aside to cool. Chop the lettuce and place all the ingredients except dressing and sour cream (if using) in a large bowl together. Stir together about a 1/2 cup of both sour cream (if using) and dressing, depending on how much dressing you like. Coat the salad with desired amount of dressing. Best eaten immediately.
Catalina Dressing
½ cup honey
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
small chunk onion
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup or 2 T tomato paste
½ cup mild oil – I use light olive oil
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Tweak It Notes
- MEAT – When I make this meatless, I double the beans and put the cumin, chili powder and garlic salt onto the beans. Stir them around well and then add them to the salad. You can also season quinoa and use it in place of the meat.
- CHEESE – I typically skip the cheese all together. You don’t miss it when it isn’t there. You can put the cheese on the side and let those that can have it sprinkle it on top, if desired.
- SOUR CREAM – Like I said in the post, I top our salad with just the homemade catalina dressing and no sour cream. I like it just like that.
- DRESSING – In the dressing recipe it calls for ketchup, if you need to avoid all refined sweeteners, you can substitute 2 T tomato paste.
- CORN – If you are avoiding grains, you can skip the chips all together. Or Siete brand has a cassava flour chip that is good. Don’t mix those chips into the salad because they get soggy really quickly. We sprinkle them on top.
