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This taco salad is a fresh and flavorful Tex-Mex inspired one-pan meal, perfect for easy dinners or meal prepped lunches. It is dairy-free, paleo, and easily made AIP and Whole30.

taco salad in bowl

What is Taco Salad?

Living in Texas, it’s pretty much impossible to not have had a taco salad! Taco Salad is a Tex-Mex staple dish that takes all the contents of a classic taco and puts it into a salad, and is topped off with tortilla strips…in honor of the taco, of course! Taco salads are normally made with dairy, corn, gluten, inflammatory oils and grains, so I wanted to make a version that is healthy, nourishing and equally delicious.

This paleo taco salad is the perfect meal for a delicious one-pan dinner or a meal-prepped lunch! It is made with fresh vegetables, delicious seasoned beef, grain-free tortilla strips and a dairy-free sour cream. It is made to be dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free, and is paleo, AIP and easily made to be Whole30.

Ingredients for this Paleo Taco Salad

For the Tortilla Strips (omit for Whole30)

  • Grain-free Tortilla: I use Siete almond flour tortillas, but you can also use cassava for AIP.
  • Avocado Oil

For the Seasoned Beef

  • Ground Beef
  • Salt & Black Pepper: omit pepper for AIP.
  • Garlic Powder & Onion Powder
  • Cumin & Chili Powder: Omit both for AIP.

For the Salad

  • Coconut Cream & Apple Cider Vinegar: To make the dairy-free sour cream.
  • Romaine Lettuce: You can use other types of lettuce or greens, if you prefer.
  • Red Onion
  • Black Olives
  • Grape Tomatoes: Omit for AIP.
  • Avocado
  • Fresh Cilantro
  • Green Onion

taco salad in bowl

How To Make This Paleo Taco Salad

  • Make Tortilla Strips: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the tortilla strips to the baking sheet and lightly drizzle with oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until crispy to your liking. Set aside.
  • Make Ground Beef: Using a large pan, brown the ground beef over medium heat, seasoning with the spices, and crumbling well with a wooden spoon. Drain the excess fat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Make Salads: Prepare the dairy-free sour cream by combining coconut cream and apple cider vinegar. Set aside. Divide the lettuce among 4 bowls and top with beef, red onion, black olives, avocado, cilantro, green onion and sour cream. Serve immediately.

taco salad in bowl

Can you use another meat?

Yes, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, shredded chicken or cooked and sliced steak.

Can you save this to eat later?

You can, but I would store the components separately to keep them fresh.

taco salad in bowl

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Paleo Taco Salad

  • Author: Michelle
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This taco salad is a fresh and flavorful Tex-Mex inspired one-pan meal, perfect for easy dinners or meal prepped lunches. It is dairy-free, paleo, and easily made AIP and Whole30.

Ingredients

Scale

For the tortilla strips (omit for Whole30)

  • 1 grain-free tortilla, sliced into strips (I use siete almond flour tortillas, you can also use cassava for AIP)
  • 1 tsp avocado oil

For the ground beef

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin (omit for AIP)
  • 1 tsp chili powder (omit for AIP)

For the salad

  • 1/4 cup coconut cream
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced (omit for AIP)
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tbsp green onion, chopped

Instructions

For the tortilla strips

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the tortilla strips to the baking sheet and lightly drizzle with oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until crispy to your liking. Set aside.

For the ground beef

  1. Using a large pan, brown the ground beef over medium heat, seasoning with the spices, and crumbling well with a wooden spoon. Drain the excess fat and allow to cool slightly.

For the salads

  1. Prepare the dairy-free sour cream by combining coconut cream and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
  2. Divide the lettuce among 4 bowls and top with beef, red onion, black olives, avocado, cilantro, green onion and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Notes

Omit tortilla strips for Whole30.

All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Stove Top

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 285
  • Fat: 11.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 12g
  • Fiber: 5.1g
  • Protein: 27.5g