Remember when eat-out salads where simple? None of these over-the-top quinoa-strawberry salads you find everywhere these days. A simple, uncomplicated salad that still has a twist to it; now that is rare. Then, lo and behold, while scrolling the internet for ideas, I come across the Wendy’s Taco Salad. It is just what I have been looking for; a beautiful mix of crispy lettuce, juicy diced tomato, freshly grated cheddar cheese, crunchy tortilla chips and the legendary Wendy’s chili.
I love this recipe because you can pre-make the chili and either store it in the refrigerator or freeze it for months. The leftover chili can be used in pasta dishes or casseroles.
This taco salad gets even better. You can assemble it in a mason jar and store it for 2-3 days! Assembly also takes minutes meaning you don’t have to rush to get lunch ready.
Making this recipe at home with fresh and healthy ingredients, you have a fantastic balance of carbohydrates, fats and protein. You can substitute some ingredients for healthier alternatives.
This is the perfect salad recipe as it is delicious, easy to make and can be pre-made.
How to make Wendy’s Taco Salad
To make the chili, heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add your ground beef and cook until evenly browned. Next add your crushed tomatoes, kidney beans and pinto beans. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Season the chili with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To assemble the taco salad, place your lettuce in a bowl. Add the cheddar cheese and tomatoes and top with broken corn tortilla chips and the chili. Lastly add a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- This taco salad also works great to prep in advance by using mason jars. Simply add your cooled off chili at the bottom, top with the cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Keep your tortilla chips and sour cream on the side. Packed like this, your salad can be made 2-3 days in advance and conveniently enjoyed at work.
- To make this recipe healthier, you can use low-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream. You can also rinse your beans as the liquid they are stored in contains lots of sodium. You can also substitute the dairy products with vegan alternatives.
- Extra-lean ground beef is also a healthier alternative to regular beef. You can even use other lean meats such as turkey or chicken. A vegan alternative would be lentils.
- Use baked tortilla chips as opposed to fried chips. You can make your own tortilla chips by cutting up plain tortillas, seasoning them with salt and olive oil and baking them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes or until crispy.
Conclusion
Overall, this salad knocks the ball out of the park. It doesn’t take ages to make and a big bonus is that both the chili and the salad can be pre-made.
You can also easily substitute ingredients with healthier or vegan alternatives which makes this recipe versatile as well as delicious.
The crunchy chips, chunky chili and smooth sour cream also create a symphony of textures and all together the flavors blend well nicely. For the perfect salad, you will never need to look for another recipe again.