taco salad with lime ranch dressing

This taco salad with lime ranch dressing will have your whole family raving, and you can feel good knowing it’s loaded with healthy fats, carbs, proteins, fiber, and other nutrients.

You can also give options: some members of the fam may want the taco meat and dressing over a salad while others throw it in a taco shell. Everyone’s happy!

This taco salad has the most flavorful Mexican seasoned beef (or turkey) piled high over fresh lettuce, tomato, avocado, and grilled veggies, topped off with a sweet, tangy lime ranch dressing.

can taco salad be healthy?

Absolutely. This taco salad is very healthy, high in protein, healthy fats, and no sugar. I’ve replaced cheese and sour cream with a lime ranch dressing, which adds fantastic flavor. Also, if you’re missing tortilla chips on your salad, I have an excellent option for you!

Siete and From the Ground Up both make delicious grain-free tortilla chips which you can crunch up and top on your salad.

is taco salad keto?

Yes, everything in this salad is keto-friendly. Check the nutrition facts on the nacho chips if you add them – they don’t have a lot of carbs but maybe more then recommended on keto.

The dressing calls for honey, which is not keto-friendly; however, you can replace that with a teaspoon of xylitol or erythritol.

what’s in taco salad?

I made this shortly after I made the avocado salad with charred veggies and grilled chicken, which ended up being very efficient. When I made the avocado salad, I grilled many more veggies than I needed, so it was a great option to throw the grilled veggies into this taco salad. Grilling the veggies takes the flavor up a notch!

Here are additional suggestions to put in your salad:

• black beans
• shredded cheese
• tortilla chips
• salsa (try sweet & spicy mango salsa)
• jalapeños
• garlic cloves
• green chilis
• guacamole (try bacon guacamole)

what is taco salad dressing?

The dressing for this salad is so flavorful! It’s creamy and light with hints of lime, cayenne and honey.

The base is mayo, and I love to use Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo made with avocado oil. This mayo is Paleo, W30, and Keto friendly. If you don’t want to use mayo, sour cream works well too. You can use regular or a dairy-free sour cream like Kite Hill or Follow Your Heart.

If you don’t want to use honey, you could do data paste (for W30 or Paleo) or a teaspoon or 2 of erythritol or xylitol (for Keto).

how to make taco salad

This taco salad is a quick weeknight meal to add to your rotation! Start by sauteeing the ground beef or turkey until it’s finished. Add the spices and tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. While that’s cooking, make the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender.

Gather your salad ingredients and add them to a big bowl or 4 individual bowls. Top the salad with the finished taco meat & dressing. Add cheese or crunched up tortilla chips (healthier options above).

other salads you’ll love:

• loaded burger bowls with special dressing
• salad with apples and sweet sesame dressing
• caprese salad with homemade croutons

other Keto/Paleo/Whole30 recipes you’ll love:

• avocado salad with charred veggies over grilled chicken
• easy chicken bruschetta
• sesame chicken with “fried” cauliflower rice
• steak fajita stuffed sweet potatoes
• keto chicken “sandwich” (copycat Chick-fil-A”)

notes & substitutes

• For the mayo, I use Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo made with avocado oil. Paleo, Whole30, and Keto friendly. Instead of mayo, you could use regular or dairy-free sour cream (Kite Hill or Follow your Heart brands are great).

• Instead of honey, you can use date paste for Whole30 or Paleo. For Keto, substitute with a teaspoon of xylitol or erythritol.

taco salad with lime ranch dressing

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Karen Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

465

kcal

This taco salad has the most flavorful Mexican seasoned beef (or turkey) piled high over fresh lettuce, tomato, avocado and grilled veggies. Topped off with a sweet, tangy lime ranch dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey

• 1 tbl. chili powder

• 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

• 3/4 tsp. cumin

• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

• 8 ounces or head of lettuce

• 1.5 cups tomatoes

• 1 avocado, cubed

• 1 large pepper (raw or grilled), sliced

• 1 large red onion (raw or grilled), sliced

• Lime ranch dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (subs above)

• 1/8 cup olive oil

• 1 juice from 1 lime

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

• 1 tsp. honey (subs above)

• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne

• 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

• black pepper to taste

• fresh cilantro to taste (optional)

Directions

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef or turkey. Break the beef up with a wooden spoon while cooking. Cook the ground beef until browned and no longer pink.
• Drain any excess grease from the skillet. Return to the stove and reduce the heat to low.
• Add the 1/2 cup tomato sauce and the spice mix. Stir together until the meat is coated in the sauce. Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
• For the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Mix, pour into a bowl, and set aside. The earlier you make this, the better because the flavors have time to meld together.
• To serve, place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Top with taco meat and salad dressing. Add tortilla chips or shredded cheese if desired.

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