Lean And Green Taco Salad is a hearty, satisfying meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Taco salad gets roots from Mexican food, featuring a base of lettuce with taco-ish toppings. It can be eaten for lunch or dinner and is one of the best go-to recipes to avoid meat.
If you’ve never made this recipe, don’t try to head into it unprepared. This recipe requires a lot of chopping, so have a cutting board and sharp knives ready. The ingredients are likely already in your kitchen but do not leave out the cheese. Though it may seem like an unnecessary ingredient, trust me: It is not.
Lean And Green Taco Salads are zesty and fresh-tasting without being too spicy or obnoxiously large. It’s a perfect year-round dish for those who want something other than a sandwich for lunch.
What is Lean?
Lean is a term nutritionists use to describe foods low on the glycemic index (GI). The idea is that if something is low in fat and contains a moderate amount of carbs, it will not raise your blood sugar levels like high-GI foods. If you have type 2 diabetes, make sure to eat healthy foods.
The Taco Salad base is a simple combination of cupcake mix, scrambled eggs, red onion, green pepper, shredded cheese, and salsa. The cupcake mix is what makes this a hearty meal. If it wasn’t for the egg and you didn’t like cheese, this would be mostly just lettuce!
This recipe can be made with taco seasoning (no shortage of it in the south), but it’s still worth making your own when you have the time.
This is one of those recipes you can make pretty quickly and doesn’t take long. You just need to have the right ingredients and know what they are. If you don’t have them, follow the instructions in the article or check if your local grocery stores stock taco seasoning.
The next time you go shopping, note down everything on sale and make a mental note of which items will be most beneficial for your recipes.
What is Green Taco Salad?
Green taco salad is a version of the Mexican classic that substitutes green bell pepper for the traditional red. The green bell pepper adds a lot of flavor to this recipe, but if you don’t like it, red is also fine!
Ingredients:
- Lean And Green Taco Salad
- 3 cups shredded lettuce
- 2 cups crunchy taco meat (or hard taco shells)
- 1 cup cooked queso fresco, preferably fresh, grated
- ½ cup green pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, diced ( 1 Tbsp )
- 1 Tbsp fat-free salsa
Directions:
- Make the cupcake mix according to the package directions. Whisk together eggs and add to the mixture. Keep aside.
- In a small pan, cook the green pepper and onions in oil till tender. Remove from heat.
- Add the cooked onion and peppers to the cupcake mixture along with salsa. Divide into 3 portions.
- In each portion, add ⅓ cup of lettuce, ⅓ cup of cooked taco meat, ⅓ cup of grated cheese, and ¼ cup of salsa over lettuce on top.
- Serve immediately or keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutritional Information (per serving)
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 130 |
| Fats | 3.1 g (0.6 g saturated) |
| Carbohydrates | 12.6 g |
| Protein | 15.8 g |
| Sodium | 406 mg |
| Calories from fat | 0 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Sugar | 3.6 g |
| Net carbs | 9.6 g |
Bottom line
It’s not the healthiest meal, but it’s filling and tastes great! It’s perfect for staying healthy if you don’t have time to cook or don’t want to.
For example, this would be a good option if you want a healthy lunch meal but don’t have time. This is also not very expensive, so you can buy ingredients in bulk and keep them later. The ingredients are cheap, which makes this recipe very cost-effective.
I hope that you enjoyed this article and if you did, please share it with your friends.
