Have you ever had that wonderful white trash taco salad made with Doritos, taco meat, tons of cheese and an entire bottle of Catalina/French dressing?  Oh yeah, I believe there may be some lettuce in there also.  I personally love the stuff but DON’T love the calorie count.  I prefer to splurge on dessert and tend to choose healthier options for my meals.

Well, I don’t see why I can’t have my cake and eat it too, so I took that atrocity of a “salad” and turned it into something I could feel good about eating on what is now almost a weekly basis.  It has become one of my favorite go-to meals b/c it’s easy and so tasty.  Plus, I like big portion sizes and the bulk of the lettuce allows you to get quite a big plateful for a fraction of the fat and calories in a teeny serving of the real stuff.  That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.

Taco Salad

Serves 4

1 lb. ground bison
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 taco seasoning spice packet (or 3 tablespoons homemade seasoning)
1-2 bags of salad
4 oz. Guiltless Gourmet Mucho Nacho Chips or baked Doritos, crushed
1 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup light French or Catalina dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes)
salsa & sour cream for garnish, if desired

Brown the bison over medium heat, drain the broth and fat.  Add the beans and taco seasoning, plus 3/4 cup water.  Simmer on medium until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the meat with everything but the tomatoes and mix well.  Divide between large plates and top with the tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream if you wish.

If you’re only cooking for one or two, just use a portion of the meat and halve/quarter the recipe for everything else.  Save the meat mixture in the fridge for your next meal.  If you make the whole thing and save it, you’ll have soggy chips the next time you dig in so I wouldn’t recommend that method unless you don’t mind soggy chips.  Personally, I must have the crunch!