A Healthy Taco Salad that's great for meal prep and loaded with tons of fresh veggies. The salad base is vegan with two different options for protein. And the toppings can easily be customized to make this an all vegan salad. Gluten free, Easy, Vegetarian, Vegan option.
The perfect make ahead meal for quick healthy lunches or dinner. Especially since you can use ingredients that you may already have on hand.
So it's a great way to clean out the fridge and use up any of those garden veggies still lingering around.
Salad is a regular on our menu and another one of our favorite make ahead salads is this Greek cauliflower salad!
And if you're a fan of tacos then, this healthy taco salad is a fun and easy way to switch up taco night.
Ingredients for salad base
Notes on vegan salad base
- Romaine lettuce- you can swap this out with any of your favorite greens, but I've found that romaine or iceburg lettuce works best for this recipe. I recommend chopping the greens for this base.
- Black beans- I used canned black beans to make it simple, but you could prep dried black beans or even canned pintos would work well.
- Lentil taco meat- this is adds a lot of texture and flavor to the base so I don't recommend skipping this part. It can also be made ahead.
Toppings for this taco salad recipe
Notes on toppings
You can use any and all of your favorite taco toppings!
For this vegetarian taco salad I used sweet yellow corn, black olives, green onions, grape tomatoes, lime slices, jalapeños, avocado and cilantro.
Other topping ideas
- Shredded cheddar cheese- I used dairy free cheddar shreds on this salad.
- Bell peppers- green or red
- Red onion
- Sour cream- can use a vegan sour cream for the vegan option.
- Tortilla strips or chips- The tortilla strips can easily be made homemade with tortillas.
How to make taco salad
full directions in recipe card below
Start by prepping all the ingredients for the salad. Prepare the lentil taco meat, steam corn and allow to cool, rinse black beans if using canned and chop all the veggies.
Prepare the salad dressing- I used a chipotle salad dressing which only requires 3 ingredients. Ingredients for this are in the recipe card below.
For meal prep, just layer chopped vegetables in individual bowls that you can seal tight in the fridge.
Other salads to try
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE PLEASE BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW…..
I’d love to hear if you make this & how you like it. Plus please be sure to include a star rating.
Until next time-xoxo
📖 Recipe
Healthy Taco Salad (Vegetarian, Meal prep)
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 6 ounces romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed
- 1 cup lentil taco meat
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels rinsed and steamed
- ½ cup grape tomatoes sliced
- 2 green onions sliced
Lentil taco meat:
- 1 15 oz. can lentils drained
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp. ketchup unsweetened
- 2 tbsp. coconut aminos
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
- 8 black olives sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- ½ cup dairy free cheddar cheese shreds
- 1 Jalapeño seeds removed and sliced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro chopped
- Tortilla strips for topping
Chipotle Salad dressing:
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tbsp. chipotle sauce
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
Instructions
Salad Assembly:
- Start with layer of chopped lettuce in each bowl.
- Then top with black beans, lentil taco meat, steamed corn that has cooled, tomatoes, and green onions.
- Top with shredded cheese, avocado, black olives and jalapeño.
Lentil taco meat:
- Sauté chopped onion over medium heat in olive oil till soft and translucent.
- Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper and cook another minute till fragrant.
- Then add drained lentils, ketchup, coconut aminos and vegetable broth and simmer 10-12 minutes till starting to thicken.
- Can serve warm on salad or allow to cool and store in airtight container in the fridge.
Salad Dressing directions:
- Add mayo, chipotle sauce and lime juice to bowl or jar that can be sealed. Mix well.
- Store in fridge until ready to serve salad.
- And top dressing over salad when ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from June 2019
Sara Welch
Wow! I know what I will be having for lunch today! This looks like one awesome salad! Delish!
Stephanie
Thanks Sara! Enjoy! 😉
SHANIKA
I love Tacos so incorporating it into a salad just sounds perfect!
Heidy L. McCallum
All I can say is this looks utterly delish! I would totally love to try this meal. I think I will make it this coming week after I stop at the market. Saving for later.
Stephanie
Thanks Heidy! Hope you Enjoy 😘
Dannii
I love black beans, but usually just have them in a stew. This would be great for BBQs.
Natalie
I love homemade tacos! Looks so delicious and perfect for parties!
Kate
This looks incredible! I love all the fresh veggies and that salad. Yum!
brandidcrawfordgmailcom
This is on gorgeous salad. It looks so healthy. This is perfect for summer.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
Wow this is super healthy and looks delicious. I think avocados are a super food aren't they?
Dannii
I do love a good taco salad. All the deliciousness of Mexican food, without the mess of holding a taco.
Monica
This looks fantastic! We do black bean tacos a lot, so black bean taco salad sounds like a lovely variation!
Emily
These kind of salads are the best, it looks so delicious and healthy.
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food
I could, without a doubt, eat this every single day! Salads scream summer to me and this one hits all the check marks for one delicious meal! Love that it's vegetarian 🙂 Plus, I bet that dressing would be delicious on just about anything!
Dara
This is such a lovely salad. I can totally dig into this with some Italian bread.
Thanks for the recipe! 😀
Stephanie
Thanks Dara and You're welcome! Hope you Enjoy 🙂