Taco Salad Boats are a lighter option for making tacos. Your whole family will find these delicious!
Tuesday nights are usually taco nights at our house. While my family loves both soft and hard shells, I love to make something a little lighter in the summer.
These Taco Salad Boats use romaine lettuce leaves to transport lots of delicious ingredients while being a little less carb heavy.
In the summer, I tend to eat and serve lots of salads. When the weather is hot, a salad for dinner is nice and refreshing.
The taco meat for this salad can be prepared in advanced so it is very easy to heat up in the microwave. It is also wonderful to come home from work knowing very minimal cooking will need to be done.
I like to vary the meat I’m using in tacos, so this time I used lean ground turkey. These tacos are great if you are watching calories or if you just want to save your calories for a margarita and Mexican brownies for dessert.
If you prefer beef, I have used 90% lean beef also. This works to make a healthier choice as well.
This meal is a great dinner and if I have company I serve it with a side of refried beans and rice. It works well if you’d like a gluten free meal. Don’t forget to serve some salsa on the side.
These taco salad boats could also be part of a taco bar which includes soft and hard shells. The ingredients could be separate bowls and your family or guests can fill them themselves.
In our family, there are a variety of opinions on what should go in a taco. I love to add in the fresh veggies and avocados, but my daughter prefers beans and tofu.
Then there are my husband and son, who both prefer meat and cheese. We all agree on adding a little hot sauce though, to spice things up a bit.
Whatever veggies or types of cheese you have on hand would make a great filling for the lettuce boats. What’s your favorite addition to add to tacos?
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Taco Salad Boats Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 cup Taco Sauce
- 8 large Romaine Lettuce Leaves
- 1/2 cup Bell Peppers chopped
- 1 cup Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Avocado medium, peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat.
- Add ground turkey and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring often. Add taco sauce, bring heat to low and cover.
- Cook for another few minutes or until bubbly. Set aside.
- Lay out lettuce on a plate. Fill with taco meat mixture and top with peppers, tomatoes, avocado and cheese.
- Drizzle each one with ranch dressing.
- Serve with extra toppings on the side.