Walking Tacos offer a fun, portable way to enjoy the traditional taco salad and are perfect for kids’ parties and casual dinners. Those who prefer a plated taco salad may absolutely eat the meal that way.
Both of my sons are swimmers and, like so many sports activities, the summer swim meets are always over dinnertime. Typically, I feed the boys an early meal and pack a few snacks for them to eat later.
At a recent meet, my younger son approached me as I was doing my timing duties and asked if he could buy a “walking taco,” saying he had never ever tried this snack bar special. (Our pool snack bar didn’t serve them, but many of the opposing teams’ snack bars did!)
I gave him a few dollars, but he returned a few minutes later to tell me they were sold out. By now I was intrigued, so I told him we could make them at home one evening soon.
So, a few nights later, he invited a few friends over for a walking taco dinner. My family adores a traditional taco salad, which I always load with all sorts of ingredients that make it both nutritious and delicious. A few tortilla chips crushed over top add welcome crunch. My favorite are the Hint of Lime variety…so much so that I’ve made a copycat version.
Of course, in a walking taco, a base of crunched Doritos replaces the tortilla chips, and then the taco meat and other toppings are added to the chip bag for a convenient “bowl.”
While we typically don’t eat our dinner out of a snack bag, this was a fun treat for the kids and is a clever idea for a child’s birthday party. My husband and I stuck with a plated version, so feel free to choose either option.
The homemade taco seasoning provides extra flavor with spices you likely have on hand (for that recipe, click here), although you may use a store-bought packet.
Walking Tacos
We also like to assemble the taco salad ingredients on a plate, drizzle with a dressing of half ranch, half salsa, and top with crushed tortilla chips for a delicious and fairly healthy taco salad without the bag.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix (homemade or store-bought)
- Chopped tomato
- Shredded lettuce (I like shredded hearts of romaine)
- Chopped onion or green onions
- Cooked corn
- Chopped avocado
- Shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, or your favorite)
- Sliced black olives
- Sour cream
- Salsa or picante sauce
- Individual lunch-sized bags of Doritos or corn chips
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and drain.
- Add the taco seasoning mix, cooking according to directions.
- To assemble: Break the chips before opening the bag. (Best to gently crush but not pulverize!) Open the bag of chips, being careful not to tear down the side, as this is your bowl!
- Add toppings of choice.
- Leave a little room at the top of the bag so you have room to mix.
- Grab a fork and dig in!
Leave a Reply