Homemade baked tortilla strips make this healthy taco salad hearty and delicious. Add some vegan ground beef to your taco salad for even more umami satisfaction.
Anyone else feeling like summer is whizzing by? I was at several farmer’s markets in the past week and they all were featuring fresh, local corn on the cob. In JULY? And what’s more, the corn was super sweet and really tasty. So, I’m not complaining because we love and look forward to corn season…..but corn season is usually an indication that Labor Day isn’t far off. Hey summer, can you stick around for awhile, please? In addition to this healthy taco salad, I’d like to make some Israeli Corn Salad, and some Corn Chowder, and some grilled corn.
Taco Salad: a solid choice.
So many summer recipes to explore….so little time! Don’t you agree? This recipe for taco salad is a fantastic summer find. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner, extremely customizable, super light but also satisfying and tasty. I’ve kept this salad really healthy without compromising on flavor or crunch. Say what?
Is Taco Salad Healthy?
Many taco salad recipes call for crushed tortilla chips—-and let me just be honest right here: salty/crunchy is a weakness of mine. I’ll rarely order a taco salad if I’m out because there are just too many land mines there. Me ordering a taco salad in a restaurant would be comparable to a scene from when Harry met Sally. Seriously, there would be one substitution after another and the result would be something plain, boring, tasteless and certainly not enjoyable. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t love a good taco salad. It means that I save those meals for when I’m dining at home and don’t have to compromise all of the flavor and the fun.
Homemade Tortilla Strips. So Easy.
Rather than tortilla chips that have been fried in heavily processed oil, I bake sprouted tortillas in healthy oil and load up on flavorful spices. The result is still salty/crunchy but there is no health goal compromise. These spiced tortilla strips are simple and quick to make and totally worth the minimal effort. You will love these. I’ll give you a little tip from a lesson a learned the hard way: make more of these tortilla strips than you think you need so that there will still be some left if you happen to snack on them while making the rest of this salad.
A Simple Dressing, loaded with flavor.
The dressing used in restaurants for a taco salad is another spot that things can go horribly wrong—-if you’re trying to keep your health and wellness goals in mind. Restaurants use extra salt, refined and often hydrogenated oil and sugar to make salad dressing creamy and tasty. The purpose of a good dressing is to make sure the salad isn’t dry and to also add some flavor and creaminess to what you’re eating. After all, if your food is not enjoyable, there isn’t any reason to eat it. BUT, it’s possible to have a great tasting taco salad dressing without having to abandon your health goals. This dressing does not take long to make, does not use any weird or hard to find ingredients and will satisfy your taste buds. Win. Win. This green goddess avocado dressing would also be super tasty on this healthy taco salad.
After the dressing and the spiced tortillas, the rest of this salad is super simple and easily customizable to your taste. I chose veggies that I like in a taco salad—some for color, some for crunch, some for texture and some for taste—and some for their nutritional value—-but by all means, make this salad your own and use the veggies you prefer. If you’re concerned about carbs, omit (or limit) the amount of corn you add. You can also halve the amount of beans and add some nuts for additional protein.
If you consume animal products, some grilled chicken is nice to include—-and plants are still the main focus. With the added beans and the sprouted whole grain tortillas, there is plenty of nutrition in this healthy taco salad either way. If you like a dollop of sour crème on your taco salad, you can find a good vegan sour creme in this lentil taco recipe.
📖 Recipe
Healthy Taco Salad with Baked Tortilla Strips
Equipment
- Superior Glass Mixing Bowls with Lids – 8 Piece Mixing Bowl Set with BPA- Free lids, Space Saving Nesting Bowls – Easy Grip & Stable Design for Meal Prep & Food Storage -Glass bowl For Cooking, Baking
Ingredients
Spiced Tortilla Strips
- 4 8 ” tortillas *
- 2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Cilantro Dressing:
- 1 large bunch cilantro—about 1 cup firmly packed leaves
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1 small jalapeno deseeded and chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground corriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 small purple onion cut into thin strips
- 3 ears corn cut off the cob (about 1 cup corn kernels)**
- 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 head romaine lettuce stacked and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make Tortilla Strips: Preheat oven to 400. Cut tortillas in half and then into ½” strips, then place in medium sized bowl. Mix spices together and then whisk in oil to form a paste. Pour spice paste over tortillas and mix well. It’s OK if some of the tortilla strips break while you’re trying to coat with spices, all shapes and sizes are welcome! Bake for 10 minutes. Toss and continue baking another 8-10 minutes, until crispy.
- Tortilla Strips can be made ahead to this point and stored room temp in tightly sealed container as long as they are completely cooled before storing.
- Make Dressing: Use immersion blender to puree all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Can also be made using regular blender or food processor. Dressing can be made ahead and stored in air tight glass jar in the fridge for up to one week. Bring to room temp and shake well before using.
- Make Salad: Prepare veggies for salad and toss together in a large bowl. You can make to this point ahead (all but the avocado which needs to be added last minute). When ready to serve, add in the tortilla strips and avocado and toss with enough dressing to coat, erring on the side of under-dressed. You can always pass around extra dressing for those who want more.
Notes
- TORTILLAS: Use grain-free almond flour, coconut flour or cassava flour tortillas or gluten-free corn tortillas, depending on dietary needs.
- CORN: substitute frozen organic corn or frozen fire roasted corn, but NOT canned corn….if fresh corn isn’t an option.
- CARB CONSCIOUS: Omit the corn and substitute ½ the beans for chopped nuts to up the protein while limiting the carbs.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Carmela Mancini
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome salad. I can not say enough about how amazing this was!
Debra Klein
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!