A tasty low carb taco salad using wholesome ingredients is naturally low in carbs, easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious! Use lean ground beef or turkey in this nice twist on Taco Tuesday!
Ground beef tacos with cheese shells are always popular at my house, but it’s nice to change it up sometimes. Lucky for me, my kids finally decided they like salads. That’s great news because sometimes a salad is the fastest and easiest dinner to get on the table after a busy day.
This taco salad is one of their favorites. I like it because it only takes as long to assemble as the ground beef takes to cook.
Low Carb Taco Salad
Is there anything better than a healthy taco salad for dinner? Cold crisp romaine lettuce, seasoned lean ground beef (or turkey) and healthy mix-ins like cheese, purple or green onions, fresh tomatoes, and creamy avocado.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like all the flavor going on in this popular salad. Not only are taco salads easy to make, but they taste great.
My husband is a ground beef lover but this taco salad can also be made with ground turkey. I use lean beef in the recipe because it breaks down into smaller bits and pieces better and doesn’t leave the salad soaking in grease. There is plenty of fat from cheese, sour cream, and salad dressing to satisfy keto macros if you count them.
Taco salads can be made with your favorite ingredients, however, I like to keep it traditional using the same ingredients I would use in homemade tacos. I keep it low in carbs by using my own spices or even my homemade taco seasoning.
The only difference with this recipe is that I like to dress the salad in a vinaigrette dressing, like this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette from Five Heart Home. I think it balances the flavors from the seasoned taco meat and the fat from cheese and sour cream.
This salad starts with ground cumin (or homemade taco seasoning) to lean ground beef. I like a crisp lettuce, so romaine hearts are my choice.
Traditional taco toppings like avocado, cheese, onion and tomato do it for me. After tossing the lettuce, seasoned cooked taco meat and toppings with dressing, I serve with salsa and sour cream. So Good!
What are you favorite taco toppings? Let me know in the comments.
This low carb taco salad serves 4 at 4 net carbs per serving!
Low Carb Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 whole Romaine hearts (340 grams), chopped
- 1 whole avocado, cubed
- 4 ounce cheddar cheese, cubed
- 3 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp sliced red onion (1/2 ounce)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (or 2 tbsp of Homemade Taco Seasoning)
- salt and pepper to taste
Mexican Viniagrette
- 1/2 batch Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (sub sugar-free sweetener to taste, for the honey)
Optional Ingredients:
- salsa
- sour cream
Instructions
Preparation:
- Make vinaigrette per instructions. Chop and prepare vegetables and cheese.
Method:
- Place the ground beef in a cold pan over medium heat. Work the ground beef in the pan to break up in to tiny crumbles, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Alternately, use 2 tbsp of my homemade taco seasoning. Let cool slightly.
- Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Top with a dollop of sour cream and salsa if desired (don't forget to count the carbs). Serves 4.
Notes
Nutrition
Hello, I love the taco salad bowl image. Is this image owned by You? I would like to request permission to use this photo on my wife’s website along side a recipe.
Hi Stacy. I’m glad you like the photo. It took me many times to get it looking half way decent. No, you may not use my photo on your wife’s website as it was the result of my hard work and would cause confusion if people pinned the photo from your wife’s site. Then, there would be one image pointing to two different sites. I suggest finding a photo on Shutterstock that you like. -Kim
Can’t wait to try this! I love anything taco!
Thanks, Karly!
Yuuummmm….. Taco salad!!! I love it. I have never thought of using a vinaigrette on a salad with ground beef. I will have to try it. The salad dressing looks delicious. I can’t wait to try this.
This was an easy taco salad. I liked adding the tart dressing to it which balanced out the ground beef and cheese. We used extra cheese because…. cheese! Thank you for the recipe.
Oh, good. I’m glad you liked the salad, Cheryl. Nothing like an easy taco salad. Enjoy the rest of your week. -Kim
Thank you for this, Taco salads have always been my go to order at Taco Bell. Now I can make a Keto friendly one at home!!! Yay!!