Taco Salad With The Kids

As I have said before, cooking with my girls is one of my favorite things to do!  And part of making it fun is finding a recipe that is easy for them to handle.

Because having your four year old try to julienne veggies or flambe anything does NOT sound like a good time for anyone!

One of our go-to recipes that they girls like to help with is Taco Salad.  There are just enough ingredients and steps to make it interesting and fun, but not overwhelming.  Plus, it's easy on the budget, so that makes it great, too!

So here is our recipe...

Ingredients:
1 head of lettuce (I use iceberg because it's cheap...you can use what you like!)
1 8oz. package of cheddar cheese
1 lb. of ground beef
1 pkg. of taco seasoning
3/4 cup of water
1 tomato, diced
1 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz. can of corn, drained
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
ranch dressing, (your favorite brand)
Tortilla Chips

Brown the ground beef over medium heat until cooked through.  Drain the meat, and add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup of water.  Cook over medium high for approx. 7 minutes until thickened, and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl.  After that layer, meat, corn, tomatoes, black beans, cucumber, and cheese.  (Sometimes I do this in a large trifle bowl and it makes a really pretty layered salad!).  At this point you can either mix it all together or leave it layered for a nicer look.  When you are ready to eat, place in serving dishes and add crushed tortilla chips and ranch.  Enjoy!

Other add-ins you could try:
Fresh Cilantro
Diced green or red peppers
green onions
carrots
salsa
guacamole
rice

****ALSO, this salad makes a lot, and we have NEVER finished it!  So, what I do is cover it with a lid and keep it in the fridge for a couple days, then get it back out and serve it with soft taco shells, sour cream and salsa and we have a 2nd dinner of soft tacos that night.  LOVE when one dinner can cover two meals!!

I am linking up with WFMW over at We are THAT Family.  Check out all the great idea's over there!