This quick and easy Healthy Taco Salad is made with seasoned ground turkey, fresh veggies and all your favorite toppings to pack in the flavor! Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep or even serving a crowd!
I am always on the hunt for easy weeknight meals which is why our family LOVES these taco salads! Packed with lean protein, fresh veggies and healthy fats for a complete meal that is filling and doesn’t skimp on flavor. We love to meal prep this and enjoy it throughout the week, but this healthy taco salad is also a huge crowdpleaser if serving guests! If you are looking for healthier Mexican food, then this dish has you covered!
Why You’ll Love This
- Quick and easy – this salad may have a lot of components, but you can easily throw this whole salad together in under 30 minutes!
- Healthy – made with lean ground turkey, healthy fats, and fresh ingredients that will leave you full and satisfied.
- Customizable – you can easily make this salad all your own by using your favorite combination of toppings or swapping proteins.
- Great for meal prep – store components separately in the fridge and assemble when ready to eat.
Taco Salad Ingredients
- ground turkey – I used 93% lean ground turkey and you could go even leaner, but the turkey will be drier and not as flavorful. You could also use ground chicken, lean ground beef or ground pork.
- lettuce – I used crisp romaine lettuce in this salad. If you aren’t a fan, feel free to use iceberg lettuce, spinach, kale or whatever type of crisp lettuce you like best.
- veggies – you’ll need grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, fresh corn, avocado, yellow onion or red onion, and green onions.
- black beans – not only do canned black beans make this salad hearty and more filling, but they are a great source of fiber and potassium. You could also use pinto beans or kidney beans or skip the beans all together.
- salsa – you can use whatever salsa you like best whether it is a jar purchased from the store or homemade salsa. Try my fresh pico de gallo or this best ever salsa recipe.
- limes – you’ll need the juice of 1/2 a lime which adds a nice fresh, tangy flavor that really brightens up this whole salad. Make sure to use a fresh lime as bottled lime juice can have a bitter taste.
- taco seasoning – you can use a store-bought packet of taco seasoning or try my homemade taco seasoning made with a combination of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano.
- cilantro – I LOVE the taste of cilantro leaves so I’m pretty heavy-handed. If you’re not a fan of this herb, feel free to use chopped parsley or even basil.
- cotija cheese – I like adding a little cheese, but feel free to omit if you are dairy-free. You could also swap cotija cheese with shredded Mexican cheese or cheddar cheese.
- salt + pepper – needed to season the ground turkey.
A good tip to note is that 2 1/2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning equals one seasoning packet. I highly recommend using homemade seasoning over store-bought for the best flavor, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
How to Make Healthy Taco Salad
- Prepare veggies. Simply wash and chop the romaine lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado with a sharp knife. Then drain and rinse the black beans. Set all this aside.
- Brown the turkey. Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped yellow onion. Sauté onion until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the ground turkey. Using a wooden spoon, cook the meat, breaking it up into small pieces, until it begins to crumble and brown. Add the taco seasoning and continue cooking until turkey is browned and completely cooked through.
- Make the rest of the filling. Stir in the black beans, corn and salsa, cooking an additional 5 more minutes until heated through. Squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Assemble salad. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Top with the turkey taco meat (or beef mixture), sprinkle on some cheese and add your favorite toppings such as avocado slices, jalapenos, tortilla strips, guacamole, extra salsa and cilantro.
How to Make Crunchy Tortilla Crisps
You can easily purchase some wonton crisps for this salad, but I love making my own as it gives me total control over the flavor, crunch level and ingredients. Perfect for adding texture to this salad, but I also love them on top of chicken tortilla soup or chili!
- What you need – all you need are some flour tortillas or corn tortillas, a little olive oil (or avocado oil) spray, salt and any other other spices you want to add. Some great options include chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, lime zest, and Tajín.
- How to season – cut the flour tortilla into thin strips (1/4-1/2 inch wide) and place directly on a baking sheet or in a bowl. Lightly spray with oil, just enough for the seasoning to stick. Season with whatever you like best (salt is a MUST!) and toss to coat evenly.
- Make them crunchy – bake the tortilla strips in a single layer in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 7 to 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Bake until lightly golden and crisp.
Other Additions
The best part of this salad is that it is completely customizable to your liking! So many different toppings and variation
- Add in more veggies such as snap peas, slices of cucumber, jalapeños, black olives, shredded zucchini or even asparagus.
- Switch up the protein by using ground beef, shrimp, salmon or even ground pork, or shredded chicken.
- Go meatless by using tofu (highly recommend marinating it in some dressing!) or leaving the protein out of this salad all together.
- Add grains by mixing in brown rice, white rice, cooked quinoa or even cauliflower rice for extra heartiness.
- If you love crunch, swap out the wonton crisps for chopped peanuts, crushed tortilla chips or other nuts for a fun variation.
- Make it creamy by adding guacamole, sour cream or a dollop of Greek yogurt, or this delicious creamy avocado ranch dressing!
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Prepping and Storage
This easy taco salad recipe will last up to 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator stored in a sealed, airtight container. If planning store for later, I don’t recommend assembling the salad until right before eating to keep the lettuce as fresh and crisp as possible.
More Mexican-Inspired
- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Instant Pot Mexican Brown Rice
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Baked Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups
More Healthy Salads
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Blackened Shrimp and Corn Salad
- Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad
- Healthy Greek Salad
Hope you all enjoy this Healthy Taco Salad! If you love this as much as we do, please leave a 
star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!
Healthy Taco Salad
Ingredients
For the Taco Meat:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup salsa
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped (about 8 cups)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (about 2 ears)
- 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, pitted and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- Optional toppings: guacamole, tortilla strips
Instructions
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Drizzle olive oil in a hot skillet over medium-high heat and add chopped yellow onion. Sauté onion until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the ground turkey and cook until it begins to crumble and brown. Add the taco seasoning and continue cooking until turkey is browned and completely cooked through.
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Stir in the black beans, corn and salsa, cooking an additional 5 more minutes until heated through. Squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
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In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients, top with the turkey taco meat, sprinkle on some cheese and add your favorite toppings such as avocado slices, tortilla strips, guacamole, extra salsa and cilantro.
Nutrition
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