California Taco Salad
Tthis California spin on the classic taco salad is a lighter version with a cool cilantro dressing.
Serves4
As part of Kitchn’s celebration of all things California, we asked 19 cooks from various disciplines — chefs, photographers, writers — to see what dish they think best embodies California home cooking in 2019. See all the recipes here.
Food blogger and cookbook author Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking has built a following for her decidedly Californian sensibility, from writing a book about avocados to putting fresh CA ingredients front and center.
Her taco salad, a spin on the versions she grew up eating during high school lunches, is a catch-all for produce from the market, and can easily be adapted year-round to feature seasonal ingredients (corn in the summer, sweet potatoes in the fall, you get the idea). “It’s one of those meals that I make on repeat, whether it’s for lunch or dinner,” Dalkin says.
Taco Salad
Tthis California spin on the classic taco salad is a lighter version with a cool cilantro dressing.
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the cilantro vinaigrette:
- 1
shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 cups
tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed (about 4 ounces)
- 1 clove
garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup
olive oil
- 2 tablespoons
red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon
salt
For the meat:
- 2 teaspoons
olive oil
- 1
small onion, diced
- 2 cloves
garlic, chopped
- 8 ounces
ground turkey or chicken
- 1 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup
water
For the salad:
- 2 heads
romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
- 1 cup
cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup
grated cheddar cheese
- 2 ears
corn, shucked and corn sliced off the cobs
- 2
avocados, diced
- 3
scallions, sliced
Cilantro leaves
A few tablespoons red onion, chopped or sliced
- 1 cup
canned black beans, rinsed and drained
Instructions
Make the cilantro vinaigrette: Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed and set aside.
Cook the meat: Place a medium skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add the ground chicken or turkey and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes until fully cooked. Add the taco seasoning and the water and reduce heat to low. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes while you assemble the salad.
Assemble the salad: If you’re layering this in one large serving bowl, layer half of the lettuce on the bottom followed by half of all the other toppings. Add the next layer of lettuce on top and finish with the remaining toppings. Top with the meat and toss together with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Add more as needed and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Recipe courtesy of Gaby Dalkin/What’s Gaby Cooking.