Healthy Taco Salad Recipe

Name: Healthy Taco Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: For The Taco Meat:; 1 tbsp. olive oil; ½ yellow onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 lb. lean ground beef; ½ tsp. sea salt; ¼ tsp. black pepper; ½ tsp. cumin; For the Taco Salad:; 1 cup grape tomatoes, whole; 1 cup taco meat, cooled (see recipe above); ¼ cup jack cheese, shredded; 1 cup mixed baby greens; ½ avocado, diced (optional, when serving); For The Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing:; ¼ cup plain greek yogurt; 2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk; 2 tsp. lime juice; 1 tbsp. cilantro, minced; 1 clove garlic, minced; ¼ tsp. sea salt

Lacey Baier Recipes
September 17th, 2025 5 minute read

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If you’re looking for a flavorful, no-fuss dinner that also works great for meal prep, this Healthy Taco Salad Recipe is for you. Clean eating has never tasted this good!

If you're on the hunt for more ready-to-go mason jar salads, check out my 4 Easy Mason Jar Salads, Chicken Cobb Mason Jar Salad, and Beet And Goat Cheese Salad.

In This Post You'll Find:

Ingredients For Healthy Taco Salad Recipe
Step-by-Step Instructions
FAQs
Healthy Taco Salad Recipe

Starting to eat healthier doesn’t mean you’ll be eating just plain chicken and lettuce for the rest of your life!

That’s why I always try to modify my favorite recipes and prepare them with whole ingredients. My top choices often become part of my clean eating lifestyle.

For example, this is an even healthier (but equally delicious) version of a Taco Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing. Because tacos and salads need to be enjoyed -- it's a rule!

Try my Mason Jar Salad for Meal Prep and Easy Vegetarian Meal Prep: Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowls for more delicious, filling meals.

Ingredients For Healthy Taco Salad Recipe

Mixed baby greens: The ingredients in mixed greens will vary but are typically arugula, radicchio, swiss chard, baby romaine, and more.

Lean ground beef: This is a great protein, but it can get high in fat quickly. I recommend 93/7or 94/6 for fat content to get the protein, keep some flavor, and make it taste good, too.

Grape tomatoes: I love these sweet red nuggets of flavor. I like to leave while tomatoes so they don't get mushy, so cherry or pear tomatoes would work as well.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: To prepare the taco meat, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet and then add diced yellow onion, minced garlic, lean ground beef, sea salt, ground black pepper, and ground cumin and stir to combine.

Step 2: Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is well-browned and the onion is tender, about 6-8 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Step 3: To make the creamy cilantro lime dressing, combine plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and sea salt in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Step 4: To assemble the mason jar salad, pour the creamy cilantro lime dressing into the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar, followed the whole grape tomatoes, the cooled taco meat, shredded jack cheese, and mixed baby greens. When you’re ready to serve, top just shake the contents of the mason jar out onto a bowl and then top with fresh avocado.

FAQs

Recipe Modifications And Substitutions

This recipe is perfect the way it is, but is also totally modifiable!

Dairy-free: Omit the cheese from the toppings (or substitute with a non-dairy cheese). Used a plant-based Greek yogurt in place of the regular plain Greek yogurt.
Meatless: Modify this recipe into a meatless one by switching out the lean ground beef for black beans.
Cheese: If you prefer cheddar, mozzarella, or any other kind of cheese, go ahead and make the switch! It’s all about giving you your favorite flavors in a healthy way.

How To Prep A Mason Jar Salad

This Healthy Taco Salad is a great addition to your meal prep ideas as it can be made ahead of time. Woot! The only thing you need to pay attention to is that you store it properly in the fridge.

I use a 1 quart mason jar to make sure the salad stores well.

Remember the important rules of layering! Place the salad dressing on the bottom of the jar and the greens at the top of the jar. This helps your greens stay fresh (read: not soggy or wilted at all) all the way up until you eat them.

Stacking all the ingredients in a certain order (dressing, hard vegetables, proteins, softer vegetables, cheeses, greens) make it so you can preserve the freshness of each of the ingredients until it’s time to pour it all out into a bowl and enjoy.

And, yes, you totally pour it out into a large bowl or plate to enjoy when you’re ready to get all the goods all mixed up and coated with the dressing – it WOULD be silly to eat out of the jar, I agree!

How Long Does A Mason Jar Salad Last?

This had always been one of my favorite questions. Why? Because I love the answer! If stacked properly, a taco salad can last up to 5 days in the fridge.

If you need help finding the right containers, check out my post on the Ultimate Guide To Meal Prep Containers.

If you’re making your taco salad ahead, make sure you stack the salad correctly. Start with the dressing on the bottom, followed by harder veggies, protein and then softer veggies, cheese and topped off with greens. Seal it tightly and it’s ready to go into the fridge.