This recipe takes Keto Taco Salad to a whole new level! It features taco-seasoned beef served over a wedge of iceberg, with plenty of fresh and delicious toppings. It’s a crowd pleaser!
If you’ve been doing keto for a while, chances are that you’ve eaten your fair share of keto taco salad. I mean, it’s practically a right of passage. You’re not even allowed into the keto club unless you’ve had at least five of them!
I jest, of course, but it can begin to feel that way. When you can’t figure out what to make after a busy day, taco salad is a pretty safe option. It’s usually met with approval by the non-keto members of the household too.
Well this Mexican Wedge Salad takes those same flavors and has a little fun with it. It’s like the perfect marriage of two delicious keto salad recipes. And trust me, this was met with approval by the whole family.
It was almost as well received as my famous taco pie!
Why you will love this recipe
You can’t really go wrong with this keto wedge salad. It’s a hearty dinner salad bursting with flavor. And it’s got all you need in a keto meal: veggies, protein, and healthy fats.
It’s also pretty darn easy to make. Just cook the bacon and the taco meat, cut the lettuce into wedges, and away you go. It’s on the table in 30 minutes or less!
You can’t really make wedge salad in advance, since it’s best served fresh. But you can prep all the toppings and assemble the salads when you’re ready. You can also serve it unassembled and let your family or your guests customize their own.
Best of all, it has only 3g net carbs per serving!
Ingredients you need
- Iceberg lettuce: Iceberg is really the only lettuce that cuts into nice wedges. It’s also deliciously crisp and pairs well with the toppings.
- Ground beef: This is my preference for keto taco meat but you can also do ground turkey.
- Taco seasoning: Choose seasoning mixes that don’t have a lot of fillers or starches. It should really just be salt and spices. This one from Flavor God is great choice but you can also make your own.
- Bacon: I like to chop my bacon up prior to cooking, as it crisps up better. I get my good pasture-raised bacon from Wild Pastures.
- Tomato: One small red tomato is enough to add great color and flavor.
- Avocado: You can’t have keto taco salad without some avocado!
- Queso fresco: I chose this crumbly Mexican cheese because it mimics the bleu cheese from a classic wedge salad. But you can really use any cheese you like here, including grated Monterey Jack or cheddar.
- Chipotle ranch dressing: My recipe for this spicy dressing is quite frankly amazing! But you could also use plain ranch or another creamy dressing of choice.
Step by step directions
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Brown the beef in the skillet and add the taco seasoning.
2. Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce and rinse the head. Pat dry. Cut into 4 even wedges. Be sure to keep the core intact so that the wedges don’t fall apart.
3. Place the wedges on plates and drizzle each with 2 tablespoons of ranch. Top with crumbles of beef and bacon, letting much of it fall to the plate.
4. Add the tomato, avocado, and crumbled cheese. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
A great way to serve these wedge salads to guests is to put out all the toppings in bowls and allow them to dress their own. Kids love doing this too!
If you won’t be serving them immediately, don’t put them together. You can prep all the toppings and refrigerate until ready to serve. I recommend waiting to cut the lettuce until close to the time of serving, so the edges don’t brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Classic wedge salads have iceberg lettuce, ranch dressing, hardboiled eggs, crumbled bacon, tomato, and bleu cheese. All of these ingredients are low in carbs so wedge salads are very keto-friendly.
Some restaurants serve taco salad with beans and tortilla strips. And some are served in a fried tortilla bowl, which adds a lot of unnecessary carbs. However, this Keto Taco Salad has only 3g net carbs per serving so it’s a great choice for keto diets.
Depending on how you prepare it, taco meat can be very keto-friendly. Just make sure you are using seasonings that don’t contain any sugars or starches. As long as you simply use ground beef or turkey, with salt and spices, taco meat has only 2 or 3g of carbs per serving.
More delicious keto salads
Mexican Wedge Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce
- ½ cup Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1 medium avocado chopped
- 4 ounces queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the ground beef and cook until nicely browned. Stir in the taco seasoning and sauté another minute or two until well combined.
- Remove the outer leaves of the lettuce and rinse the head. Pat dry. Cut the head in half through the core, then cut each half into 2 wedges. Keep the core intact so that the wedges doesn't fall apart.
- Place the wedges on plates and drizzle each with 2 tablespoons of ranch. Top with crumbles of beef and bacon (much of it will fall to the plate, this is normal!).
- Add the tomato, avocado, and crumbled cheese. Serve immediately.
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