My mom sent me this taco salad recipe and it’s now one of my favorites. My mom even wrote on the paper “I love this taco salad!” And then she drew a big star next to her comment. 
So easy to make. I have made it both with ground beef and ground turkey. Beef makes me feel like hurling, so tonight I made it with turkey. SO YUM. I ate 2 helpings. Baby was hungry.
Serves 4 to 6 (or 1 husband and 1 pregnant wife)
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
table salt and ground black pepper
1 pound 90% lean ground beef (or 93/7 ground turkey)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 hearts romaine lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (I omitted this from my recipe)
4 cups tortilla chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1. Combine lime juice, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 cup olive oil and salt & pepper to taste in a small bowl. (I combine mine in a measuring cup for easy mixing and easy pouring.)
2. Heat remaining teaspoon oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add beef/turkey and cook, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, remaining teaspoon cumin, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and water and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper, and cover to keep warm.
3. Toss lettuce, tomatoes and chips with lime juice dressing in large bowl. Divide salad among individual plates and top each portion with some meat mixture. Sprinkle cilantro and any additional toppings, such as diced avocados, shredded pepper Jack or cheddar cheese, minced red onion or sour cream.
Overall, I give this 9 out of 10 stars. It’s delicious. I think next time I’ll add a little more seasonings/garlic to the dressing, just because the olive oil taste is a little too strong for me. SO YUM.
I am making this for dinner tonight and I am super excited about it. I plan to put the recipe up on my blog but will credit you and link to your post of course.