Taco Salad Bowls (Restaurant Style)
Restaurant-style taco salad bowls using batch taco meat with all the proper components: crispy lettuce, refried beans as the base, white cheese sauce, and fresh toppings. Skip the fried tortilla bowl at home or make it if you have an outdoor fryer.
Equipment
- Large Serving Bowls
- Medium Skillet
- Small Pot
- Deep Pot
- Thermometer
- Ladle
- Small Metal Bowl
- Tongs
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
Tortilla Bowls (optional)
- 6 large Flour Tortillas
- Avocado Oil for frying, 2-3 inches deep
Bowl Base
- 1 ½ cups Refried Beans warmed
- 6 cups Iceberg Lettuce finely shredded, cold and dry
Main Components
- 2 cups Restaurant-Style Taco Meat thawed and heated
- 1 ½ cups White Cheese Sauce see Beef Nachos recipe
- 1 cup White American Cheese finely shredded
Toppings
- 1 cup Red Salsa
- ¾ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Pickled Jalapeños sliced
- ½ cup Tomatoes diced
- ¼ cup Green Onions sliced, optional
- Tortilla Chips for serving alongside
Instructions
Fried Tortilla Bowls (optional)
- Heat 2-3 inches of avocado oil to 350°F in a deep pot.
- Drape a flour tortilla over a metal ladle or small metal bowl and carefully lower into the hot oil.
- Fry for 30-60 seconds until golden and crispy, holding the shape with tongs.
- Drain upside down on paper towels.
- Repeat for each bowl.
Prep
- Heat the taco meat in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.
- Warm the refried beans in a small pot over low heat until spreadable.
- Make sure lettuce is finely shredded, cold, and completely dry.
Assemble
- Spread about ¼ cup warm refried beans on the bottom and sides of the fried tortilla bowl or serving bowl.
- Add about 1 cup shredded lettuce.
- Top with ⅓ cup warm taco meat.
- Drizzle with ¼ cup warm white cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle with shredded white American cheese.
- Top with red salsa, a dollop of sour cream, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and green onions.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips on the side.
Notes
To make a great taco salad bowl like you get at a Mexican restaurant, you have to use the same ingredients they do. The taco beef is the foundation, but it's the other components that make it authentic. In restaurants, they fry a large burrito-size flour tortilla to use as the edible bowl - not practical at home unless you have an outdoor fryer, but if you can swing it, go for it. The refried beans serve two purposes: spread on the bottom to hold the bowl to the plate, and inside to prevent juices from sogging out the bottom. The lettuce must be finely sliced iceberg, cleaned and completely dry - ideally prepped and refrigerated the day before. Use white cheese sauce (not shredded cheddar) for authentic restaurant flavor. You can find recipes for all the components on this site. If you can't make the fried tortilla bowl, use a large serving bowl instead. Also try this recipe with my Ranchero Chicken instead of taco beef.
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