Healthy Taco Salad with ground turkey, veggies, greens, cheese, and one simple ingredient that replaces unhealthy bottled dressing. It is easy, filling, and a family favorite.
Perfect for serving on game days, Taco Tuesdays, and at Mexican and Tex-Mex themed dinner spreads alongside lighter salads like this healthy Mexican kale salad, street corn salad, or Mexican bean salad – for those who don’t want a meal-in-one!
Taco Salad
This healthy taco salad is so easy and filling, you will keep making it again and again! With wholesome ingredients it is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. You will not need anything else. I made my kids and Alex pasta to go with the salad, but I was good.
You can also meal prep taco salad in jars for a week ahead. Just don’t add the crunchy chips or the one ingredient secret dressing. Now, about that.
Healthy Taco Salad Dressing
What I despise the most about unhealthy salads is the bottled high calorie, sugar and sodium loaded salad dressing. And what I don’t like even more is a complicated salad dressing in a healthy salad. I just know that I will never make it, especially for one meal – “Ain’t nobody got time for that”.
So, all there is to my healthy taco salad dressing is plain whole yogurt. Here is why…
Is Taco Salad Healthy?
This low calorie taco salad is made with very well Tex Mex seasoned ground turkey and corn. Then mixed with all the classic ingredients like black beans, tomato, avocado, cheese and chips. That’s a lot of flavor going on here.
So to help all ingredients “marry each other” all you need is quality plain yogurt. The best dressing and totally enough. Buy organic or grass fed Greek or regular yogurt with fat content of 3% and up and you will be blown away by its taste. No more low fat 0% crap. Healthy fat is good for you in moderation like anything else. Even kale.
The fact that using yogurt is so healthy for you is why I do it so often too, like for this healthy egg salad, Thai chicken salad, healthy chicken salad, canned salmon salad, and more! I can’t get enough of yogurt in my healthy salads!
Oh, and a lot of salad greens because they are healthy and yummy. In fact, I love ‘fully-loaded’ all-in-one salad bowl and have several I’ve already shared including a healthy cobb salad or grilled chicken salad.
How to Make Healthy Taco Salad
- Add vegetables, tortilla chips and cheese to a large salad bowl. You want to be able to mix salad comfortably as it is a large meal size salad.
- Cook turkey and corn. Saute ground turkey with taco seasoning and onion flakes. Then remove to a plate and cook corn with taco seasoning in the same skillet. You want to give it a good char, so cook undisturbed.
- Drizzle plain yogurt over all ingredients combined in the salad bowl. Then gently toss and serve immediately.
Variations of The Salad
You don’t have to do what I do exactly. I know many of you liek to make my recipes “your own” and it’s fantastic!
- Taco bowl: Place large whole grain tortilla in an ovenproof deep bowl (stainless or metal works) and bake at 450 degrees F until crispy. Place salad in a bowl and voila.
- Vegetarian: Replace ground turkey with cooked chickpeas or tofu. Cook with spices just like I do.
- Shredded chicken: Use shredded chicken and cook it in spices following teh recipe. Just 5 minutes less than raw ground turkey.
- Other greens: Romaine lettuce, baby kale or regular kale and spinach create a healthy and tasty base for this taco salad.
You could also omit the meat entirely and serve this taco salad alongside your protein of choice like this Grilled chicken breast, chili lime chicken, or cilantro lime Chicken
What Tortilla Chips Are Healthy?
Chips are chips. They are a treat. But there are better and worse chips. Here is my guide for buying healthy tortilla chips:
- Organic and non-GMO will have the best ingredients list.
- Multigrain or corn are both made with wholesome ingredients.
- Look for lower in sodium ones. Often the case but not always with organic and non-GMO, so read the label.
- Baked vs. fried if you can find those. Deep fried is deep fried but in organic oil vs. GMO canola is already a step ahead.
- Brands I buy (as an avid Costco shopper LOL): Que Pasa, Food Should Taste Good, Kirkland.
How Long Does Salad Last?
You can refrigerate salad leftovers for up to 2 days. Surprisingly, this healthy taco salad doesn’t become too soggy. I don’t know about you but I do love the mushy mess of flavored meat and veggies.
Enjoy!
More Healthy Salad Recipes
- Healthy potato salad
- Healthy broccoli salad
- Chickpea avocado salad
- Southwest quinoa salad
- Mango black bean salad
You may also want to check out this curated list of 45 healthy salad recipes
Healthy Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 large container greens salad mix
- 14 oz can black beans rinsed & drained
- 4 small tomatoes chopped
- 2 medium avocados chopped
- 1/2 cup tortilla chips crushed
- 1/2 cup any hard cheese shredded
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp onion powder/flakes
- 2 cups corn cooked or thawed
- 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt not Greek
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add salad greens, beans, tomato, avocado, tortilla chips and cheese. Set aside.
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add turkey and cook for 5 minutes, constantly breaking into small pieces with spatula.
- Add 1 tbsp taco seasoning and onion flakes; cook for another 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer to a salad bowl with other ingredients.
- Return skillet to medium heat and add corn. Cook for a few minutes undisturbed, sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning, stir and cook for another minute. Transfer to a bowl.
- Drizzle yogurt on top and gently toss. Adjust salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Surprisingly, this healthy taco salad doesn't become too soggy.
Make Ahead: Refrigerate all ingredients except chips, avocado and yogurt for up to 24 hours. Assemble right before serving.
Notes
- Greek yogurt is too thick to mix well with other ingredients. I used 2% plain yogurt.
- You can use Romaine lettuce, spinach or any greens in place of a salad mix.
Nutrition
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