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HEALTHY TACO SALAD recipe WITH PAN FRIED TORTILLA STRIPS
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4.72 from 14 votes

Healthy Taco Salad (Picky Eater Approved)

A somewhat picky eater friendly taco salad that's super easy to make and loaded with flavor.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy taco salad
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 258kcal
Author: Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

Taco Meat

  • 1 lb Lean Ground Beef macros with 96/4
  • 1 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper optional

Taco Salad

  • 12 oz bag Salad Mix I used Dole "Greener Selection" with romaine, iceberg, carrots, and purple cabbage
  • 3 oz Cotija Cheese crumbled (or your choice of shredded cheese)
  • 3 Mission Extra Thin Tortillas corn or flour

Creamy Salsa Dressing

  • 1/2 C 113g Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 1/4 C 62g Salsa, your choice of salsa

Instructions

  • Mix the beef seasoning ingredients (or open a packet of taco seasoning if you're in a hurry) in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick cooking spray. Once tha skillet is hot, add the beef and use a spatula to break it apart. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the top of the meat. Continue to cook the beef until no pink remains.
  • While the beef cooks, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the tortillas into thin strips. Optional: cut the strips in half. (You can also add a bit of lime juice and sea salt.)
    healthy frito pie step 2
  • Once the beef is fully cooked, transfer it to a plate and set aside. Try to keep most of the remaining fat in the pan. Add the tortilla strips to the pan, stirring often to avoid burning. Pan fry until crispy. 
    pan fried tortilla strips for healthy taco salad recipes
  • If you're using queso fresco, use a fork to crumble the cheese.
  • For the creamy salsa dressing, simply mix the Greek yogurt and salsa together in a small bowl.
  • Add the salad mix to a large bowl before adding the beef, queso fresco, and tortilla strips on top. Top with creamy salsa dressing before serving. 

Notes

  • Each serving has 6 Smart Points.
  • To find the weight of each serving for your salad (since weight will vary depending on ingredient mods), weigh the entire salad and divide that weight by four. For more help with using a food scale for tracking macros or cooking, check out my guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.3g | Protein: 33.3g | Fat: 9g