Cheap and Easy Taco Salad with Baked Taco Bowls

My dad loves taco salad, so I wanted to give it a try.  It was very easy and cheap to make.  I made the meat a little different then what most taco salad recipes call for by using my mom's secret recipe.  I'll share that a little later:)  The thing I liked most about the taco salad was that you can fill it with just about anything you want; spouts, any kind of beans, any kind of meat, or just leave it vegetarian.  It's a good recipe if you have health issues in your family or want something simple and healthy to make in a snap. Let me know if you make taco salad and what kind of things your family enjoys on or with it.  This was also very filling, so it was low cost because the meal stretched further than I anticipated, we will be enjoying it again tonight.

The verdict
My mom and dad liked it a lot, and wanted to have it at least once a month.  My hubby liked it too and with his mouth full, pointed to it and gave the thumbs up!  My boys didn't like it as much as I thought they would, but maybe it was because of the lettuce that was all mixed up in their food?

Baked Taco Bowls

• non-stick cooking spray
• tortillaas (store bought or homemade, small or large size, we used the small ones)
• Medium sized oven safe bowl

Take your tortillas and lightly spray both sides of each tortilla with the cooking spray.  Heat your toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees.  Place tortilla in oven safe bowl and push down it down to the bottom of the bowl. 

Bake 10-12 minutes or until you see the sides browning. 

Remove bowl with oven mitts (don't forget this step) and take the tortillas gently out of the bowl and lay out to cool.


Taco Meat (Mom's secret recipe, which I altered a little bit)

• However much meat you want to cook ( I cooked about 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef)
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 T Cumin
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Salt
• Pepper 

Cook meat thoroughly then add chopped onion, cumin, salt and pepper. Add a good squirt of ketchup and a big spoonful of mustard.  Mix and taste; if it is not quite sweet, just add a little more ketchup.

Fresh Lime Salsa

•  Roma tomatoes ( I used about 8 small ones)
• 1/4 Onion
• fresh Cilantro
• fresh Limes or Lime juice

Dice your romas and onions and put in bowl.  Pull the leaves off the cilantro and finely chop, then add to the bowl with about 1 T lime juice.

Take your taco bowls and fill with whatever makes your heart content.  Add fresh avocados, peppers, cheese, beans lettuce, salsa, sprouts, plain yogurt, or sour cream. Ole'

I linked this recipe to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays over at Blessed with Grace. Check out her site, it has alot of good recipe links:)