Walking Tacos at the Supper Table

My mom called me early Saturday morning while my older sister and I were out Christmas shopping (we left home at 6:45 am...yikes) and told me she decided that the whole family was gathering at her house that evening and we were having taco salad for supper. She then asked me to pick up the ingredients - other than hamburger (that comes from the freezer) - to complete the meal.

Now, I'm going to admit something here...I am NOT a salad lover. I enjoy a good spinach salad, especially when you add bacon, but other than that I try to avoid salad.

So, I was a bit confused when I was chosen for this assignment. Then after a bit more discussion, I realized that she wanted me to make what I call "walking tacos." Now this dish usually includes lettuce and tomatoes and I guess if you go heavy on those two items, it CAN be considered a salad...but I never have, so I don't!

This is a very easy meal to whip up and there really is no recipe but I'll take you through the process.

First, if you have a house full of people when you are starting your meal prep, set out some quick and easy appetizers. we went for an array of delicious Fair Oaks Farms cheeses, like Provolone, Asiago, Muenster and Butterkase (I think).

Great way to quiet the masses so you can work in peace. Don't forget to snag some for yourself, you'll need to energy since you are the one cooking.

 Next, brown some hamburger. We cooked up two pounds for our meal (and it was just enough).

See that cool tool, that's a Pampered Chef item that my mom cannot live without. Rumor has it that I may be getting one for Christmas...hmmm.

 After your hamburger is cooked and drained (ours is so lean that we seldom have to drain it), put it back on the stove and add a packet (or two) of taco seasoning mix. Cook as directed on the seasoning packet.

While the hamburger is cooking, you (or a helper) can prep any toppings that you like on your tacos. I just had Baby Sister cut up a head of iceberg lettuce. The grocery store didn't have any nice looking tomatoes so I opted for a jar of chunky salsa instead. You can also dice up some onions but since I don't really like them, I didn't worry about it...too bad for those in the family that do - they should have helped!

Now, here's where I think this dish is a bit different. Grab a can or two of chili beans (with sauce) and heat those up - I just dump the can in a bowl and microwave them. I also grabbed a pouch of black beans in a traditional Mexican sauce from the store that morning and heated that up as well.

When everything is ready, set up an assembly line starting with...

either corn chips or tortilla chips...if you want to go crazy, grab the Chili Cheese Fritos. Crunch those up as your base then add the hamburger and beans. Top with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, cheese...the possibilities are endless.

This is a great meal for kids because they can crunch up the chips and build their own plate.

Now, I had a great photo of my brother-in-law's plate. He masterfully put together a beautiful example of this meal...unfortunately I couldn't find the photo when it was time to do this post.

I do have this photo of what was left of the meal...



As you can see, we may have to bump it up to three pounds of hamburger as the nephews get older!

Will be linking up to Hunk of Meat Monday over at Beyer Beware later today!

Linking up to some other fun Monday parties, including...
Making Friends Monday
Follow Us Monday Morning


I received a fan pack from Frito-Lay that included the Tositos chips above. No other compensation has been received. This post is based on my own honest and uninfluenced opinions and experiences.