Taco Salad... or Nachos... a house divided

So this is easily one of the easiest recipes ever and a great recipe to entertain with because it can conform to any picky tastes!


So this is how I do it and you can easily build on it however your family wants.. I will add in some other ideas along with what I do..


Ingredients:
 1 lb meat per 3-4 people (you have hefty eaters narrow that to about 1/2 lb per person).. You can use ground beef, ground turkey or even chicken shredded (great way to use some some left over chicken!)
1 pkg of taco seasoning (whatever is on sale .. they are all basically the same) per lb of meat plus whatever amount of water the pkg calls for!
shredded lettuce (we like romaine hearts cut finely)
shredded mexican cheese
sour cream
 1 can of corn
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
salsa
tortilla chips (our fav are the new multigrain scoops!)
* you can add jalapenos to that or guacamole


Directions:
Prepare the meat (brown beef or turkey or warm the chicken)
add seasoning and water and let thicken on the stove top (if you guys are a tomato family add a can of fire roasted tomatoes .. undrained instead of the water)

go ahead and warm corn in a pot on medium 

add drained and rinsed black beans to a pot and  cover with water

If you are a family who does like all of these three things, corn meat and beans, then just add them all to the same pot (draining the corn and beans though).. but if you are hosting a party separate them so that each individual can pick and chose!
While everything is warming through.. go ahead and throw all the other ingredients in some fun bowls and start to form an assembly line...


The next part is the fun part... assembly! 

Try to keep everything in a bit of an order so people know how to "build" their salads and to keep things moving .. you can go ahead and keep the salsa and the sour cream on the table in case your guests need to add more!


Another tip for a party would be to keep the meat in a crockpot to keep it warm throughout the party so people can munch as the go! (keep the meat on low or "warm" setting on your crockpot!)


Enjoy.. Have fun creating a taco masterpiece!

This is SO one of the easiest things to make for a quick dinner or last minute get together. I enjoy the turkey because the hamburger upsets my tummy... but my husband loves the beef.. So I always make both half a lb of turkey and half a lb of beef and just split the seasoning packet.


And your family is free to call it whatever your heart desires. I fondly remember it as Taco Salad!