For me, taco salad is all about the dressing and toppings. For this version, we have a bright green spicy jalapeno and cilantro yogurt-based dressing that’s packed with flavor. Toppings include punchy pickled red onions, salty cheese, creamy avocado, and crunchy tortilla chips. Don’t skip those toppings!! Roasted sweet potatoes make this salad feel more like a meal. You could easily add chicken or ground beef for extra protein.
Ingredient highlight
Whole milk yogurt! Yogurt is one of my favorite ways to get in lots of probiotics, protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. If you don’t already, I really encourage you to start buying whole milk yogurt (and all dairy products!) rather than nonfat or lowfat. Not only is the whole milk dairy more flavorful, creamy, and delicious, research also shows that it may be a lot better for you than low-fat or non-fat. Read this great article here to learn more!
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (about 12-16 oz), cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
- ½ tsp black pepper (optional)
- 8 cups thinly sliced lettuce (romaine, iceberg, kale, etc…)
- 3 cups thinly sliced or shredded veg (cabbage, carrot, and/or bell pepper)
- 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed*
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup crumbled tortilla chips**
- 1 avocado, chopped
- Pickled red onions (see recipe)
For the dressing:
- 1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt***
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed (leave out if you don’t like spice!)
- 1 small bunch of cilantro (leaves and stems, about 1 cup)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2-4 tbsp water
- *My favorite way to thaw and add flavor is to add them to a very hot pan with a touch of oil and cook, undisturbed, until charred, about 2-3 minutes.
- **Make your own! Follow instructions from Chicken Tortilla Soup
- ***If you only have regular plain whole milk yogurt, don’t add water. Blend and add water if needed.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sweet potatoes, oil and salt to the baking sheet and toss to coat. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and browned in spots. Remove from oven and toss with garlic powder and black pepper (if using). Set aside.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender, starting with just 2 tablespoons of water, and blend until smooth. If too thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until drizzle-able..
- Add lettuce, veggies, beans, corn, and sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the dressing all over. Top with cheese, tortilla chips, avocado and pickled red onion. Finish with a final drizzle of dressing and black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Pickle the red onion
- Cube 1 sweet potato
- Thinly slice 6-7 cups lettuce
- Thinly slice 3 cups crunchy veg
- Roast sweet potato
- Make the dressing
- Thaw 1 cup frozen corn
Substitutions:
- To make vegan: use 1 cup of soaked or roasted cashews in place of the yogurt + increase the water to 1 cup. Taste and add more salt or lime, if needed. Skip the cheese.
- Add shredded chicken or ground beef to up the protein
- Add or substitute with your favorite taco add-ins or toppings
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Store all components separately in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Dressed taco salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Dressing: up to 5 days in the fridge
- Pickle red onions: up to 2 weeks in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve it up with all the toppings.
- It’s best to add the dressing before eating, but leftover dressed salad will keep for up to 3 days.
- I like to gently warm up the sweet potatoes before tossing the salad together.
- Turn it into tacos!
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