I remember back as a kid I used to love when Mom made tacos for dinner. I just loved the flavor combination of tasty taco ingredients, and the crunch of biting into that crispy taco shell. I mean, we’re pretty hard-pressed to find a kid who doesn’t love tacos, right?
INGREDIENTS:
Dressing:
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. prepared salsa
½ tsp. taco seasoning mix {from a 1 oz. packet}
Salad:
1 lb. ground beef
1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning {use 1/2 tsp. of this packet for the dressing above}
2/3 c. water
6 c. chopped iceberg lettuce {about 1 small head … or Romaine works too, if you’d prefer}
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & well-drained
12 oz. prepared salsa
1 (12 oz.) package frozen corn, thawed & well-drained
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced black olives, well-drained
1/2 c. to 1 c. finely chopped red onion
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Colby cheese {I shred my own because I think it has better flavor}
1 or 2 avocados, peeled & cubed
INSTRUCTIONS:
PREPARE THE DRESSING: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, salsa, and taco seasoning. Set aside.
PREPARE THE MEAT: In a saute pan, brown the ground beef; drain any fat. Stir in taco seasoning and water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir frequently.
Set seasoned meat mixture aside to cool.
PREPARE THE SALAD: In a glass serving bowl, trifle bowl or 9×13″ baking dish, layer the lettuce first, then black beans, and seasoned meat. {Do not toss.}
Pour salsa evenly over the seasoned meat. Do not spread the salsa all the way to the very edge of the meat layer ~ if you do, liquid from the salsa will drip down the edge of the salad container and collect in the bottom. Keeping the salsa back from the edge minimizes this.
On top of the salsa, layer the corn, black olives, and red onion. Spread the dressing mixture evenly over the onion layer.
Top the dressing mixture with a layer tomatoes and then a layer of cheese.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
At serving time, top with cubed avocado. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro and more salsa, if desired.
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