With my husband and I trying to eat a little healthier, I’ve been thinking of ways to substitute meat in our favorite meals without compromising flavor. When I get the taste for something with a little ‘kick’ I like to throw together this easy Vegetarian Taco Salad.
Kidney beans are a great source of iron and protein and make a healthy substitution in place of ground beef. Follow this recipe and I’ll show you how to add taco seasoning to the kidney beans without the use of a store-bought packet. The end result is a Vegetarian Taco Salad that is not only colorful but simply delicious!
Vegetarian Taco Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 tomato
- 1 avocado
- 1 can of sliced black olives
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup water
Additional Toppings:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Drain and rinse your kidney beans.
- In a small saucepan, combine the kidney beans, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well.
- Cook the kidney beans over low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- While the beans are cooking, chop your vegetables. If you wish to top your salad with cheese now would be a good time to shred your cheese too.
- For each serving layer a large plate or bowl with the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and black olives.
- Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the kidney beans.
- Top with your favorite salsa, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro leaves.
For a crunchy and festive way to serve your salads, flip over a muffin pan and press a soft tortilla into the four corners between the muffin cups. Broil the tortillas in your oven for 5 minutes. How easy is that?
Meatless Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 head of romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 tomato
- 1 avocado
- 1 can sliced black olives
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup water
- Additional Toppings:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your kidney beans.
- In a small saucepan, combine the kidney beans, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well.
- Cook the kidney beans over low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- While the beans are cooking, chop your vegetables. If you wish to top your salad with cheese now would be a good time to shred your cheese too.
- For each serving layer a large plate or bowl with the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and black olives.
- Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the kidney beans.
- Top with your favorite salsa, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro.
More Vegetarian Recipes:
Frugal Meatless Meals for Economic Vegetarians
Would you like to save this article?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Alison's Allspice says
I love all the seasonings you used in the kidney beans! A great way to enjoy taco flavors in a salad!
Cheryl says
Yum! Vegetarian taco salad – good for me cause I don’t eat meat. And thanks for the tip about making a tortilla salad bowl. I’m looking for more recipes to eat on hot summer days, and lack of pre-made taco bowls in this part of the world kind of makes me decide on other types of salad.