This Ground Beef Fajita Salad makes a satisfying meal in winter or summer. Low carb, high flavor, filling - it's a win for me! Think fajita fixin's on lettuce and get creative!
You don't have to wait for Cinco de Mayo to make this, although it would be an excellent choice for Mexican fare in early spring!
The salads in Mexican restaurants taste awesome but those deep fried taco bowls are kind of sinful! This gives you all the flavor and none of the guilt! Okay - I did garnish the top with little strips of fried tortilla but you can leave that part out and you won't miss a thing.
For the corn in this I use canned or frozen. If I am using frozen I just let it defrost while I am making the rest of the salad -I don't actually cook it.
You can put whatever toppings appeal to you - think nachos, tacos, fajitas, You can use green onions instead of red, green peppers instead of red. I like to add jalapeno peppers on the side when I serve it too! In the winter you might also like side of refried beans. You can see my refried bean recipe here!
The meat makes the lettuce somewhat moist so I don't add an actual dressing. I mix equal parts salsa and sour cream and put a dollop on the side that I can scoop up a taste of periodically. Again..you can use whatever salsa you like- mild, medium, hot or get creative with all the different salsas out there!
One of the reasons I find this so satisfying is the beef mixture that tops the lettuce is warm. You don't want it piping hot or it will wilt the lettuce and cold is not very appetizing.. but warm... works for winter and summer. Yum....
Ground Beef Fajita Salad
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
Salad
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 pkg Fajita seasoning or you can substitute Taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup red onion sliced thin
- 2 avocados sliced
- ½ cup corn kernels canned or frozen
- ½ cup red pepper strips
- ¼ cup black olive slices (canned- make sure they are not Italian seasoned)
Optional Toppings
- ½ cup shredded cheese cheddar or Monterey Jack
- 1 8" tortilla cut into fine strips fried in oil then dusted with 1 teaspoon chili powder
Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup salsa
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef over medium high heat. When browned add the seasoning package and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Cook another 5 minutes. Drain off any excess fat/liquid and set aside.
- In a large bowl layer the lettuce, then the ground beef, then scatter the other toppings over the top.
- To make the fried tortilla strips for garnish, cut an 8" tortilla into ¼ " strips, Halve the long ones. Put oil in the bottom of a small skillet and heat it over medium high heat. There should be enough oil to just cover the tortilla strips. Test a strip- it should sizzle when you drop it in the oil. When the oil is hot add the strips and cook until they are golden brown - about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle chili powder over the hot strips.
- Serve with the salsa/sour cream dressing on the side.
Terri @Foodmeanderings
Love taco salad too and tortilla strips make it even better!
Cathy
I love a salad like this, and yours looks so pretty!
Colleen Milne
I love a taco salad, and would not be leaving out the tortilla strips 🙂 Looks yummy!