This Retro Taco Salad Is the Weeknight Dinner You Need (2024)

There is something about taco salad that just says family meal. Maybe it’s the customization option, so different palates can experience their perfect main salad components. Maybe it's the ability to bring children into the meal prep ritual since its varied components are easy to assemble. Or maybe it’s because it’s a one-dish and done meal that still satisfies.

Whatever the reason, with a little bit of preparation and the right ingredients, the humble taco salad still has the ability to serve an outsized portion of satisfaction for home cooks.

Taco Salad, a Dish Rooted in Pop Culture

A thoroughly American invention, the taco salad began its inaugural journey to the dinner table and fast food joints in the 1950s. It was the Texas brainchild of Elmer Doolin, the owner of Fritos corn chips. He called it the Ta-Cup, as the shell was a cup, not bowl-sized, and it soon showed up on the menu at Casa de Fritos in Disneyland, a restaurant where if you wanted to skip the salad and just have a snack, you could also get a bag of Fritos from a Fritos Kid official mascot vending machine.

In the '60s, according to Texas Monthly Taco Editor Jose Ralat, versions began showing up in print, including the recipe sections of the Los Angeles Times and Sunset Magazine, and in 1984 Taco Bell placed it on its menu. Originally created as a marketing vehicle for corn chips, it makes sense that it gained its way into our cultural psyche through an amusem*nt park and fast food.

Ditch the Bowl and Use Tostadas

It’s time to bring the taco salad out of pop culture and back to the weeknight dinner table where it can shine. The first step was ditching the bowl because I have always wondered: is it good etiquette to break off pieces of the bowl as you eat it? Do you use those bowl shards as scoops? How do you keep the bottom from becoming a soggy mess?

I had too many questions, so instead opted for lightly crushed traditional tostadas, available in the Mexican aisle of most grocery stores these days. They’re not too salty, filled with corn flavor, and stay crunchy to the last forkful of this warm main dish salad.

Build a Better Taco Salad

Beyond the bowl, the key to making taco salad your particular family’s favorite is customization and correct layering. Crunchy romaine has enough heft to hold up as the base; warm meat should go next to shredded cheese for optimal melting, and a dash of salsa and a dollop of sour cream not only add a finishing flourish to the dish, but combine with the other ingredients to make a dressing of sorts. Go big or go home with this main dish salad, but just don’t call it Mexican.

Swaps and Subs

There are as many variations of this salad as there are families who enjoy them, so feel free to experiment!

• Add a can of drained black beans to your list
• Garnish each dollop of sour cream with fresh or pickled jalapeños
• For a fun layer of freshness, divide a peeled and finely diced cucumber atop the tomato layers. Its cool crunch will add a fresh counterpoint to the seasoned beef
• Crumble your favorite corn tortilla chips instead of the tostadas

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