Steak Taco Salad Recipe

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

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Nobody should ever have to face a boring salad, but we admit that it's not always easy to find inspiration when staring at that bag of leafy greens sitting in your fridge. Thankfully, we've got just the recipe to ensure that your next nutritious creation hits the spot. This steak taco salad, brought to us by Catherine Brookes, combines a medley of colorful veggies with juicy pan-seared steak and a creamy, zesty dressing, and there's certainly nothing dull about it.

Sirloin steak is the cut of choice here, which is wonderfully tender and flavorful. After a quick sear, the steak is basted with garlic butter until cooked to your liking, and left to rest. For the salad base, we have everything you might typically find piled atop a taco. Think shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and pickled onion slices, plus sweet and vibrant charred corn, and a scattering of crumbed cotija cheese for a salty, tangy finish. The creamy homemade dressing offers plenty of Mexican-inspired flavor too, featuring avocado and Greek yogurt, with lime adding a zingy brightness and fresh jalapeño bringing a hint of heat. Once topped with the sliced sirloin, these steak taco salad bowls offer the perfect combination of freshness and heartiness, serving as the ultimate light yet satisfying lunch or dinner.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

To build the salad component of these colorful bowls, you'll need some shredded lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, pickled red onion slices, frozen corn, olive oil, and crumbled cotija cheese. Then, you'll whip up the dressing using Greek yogurt, avocado, lime juice, honey, a deseeded and roughly chopped fresh jalapeño, some fresh cilantro, apple cider vinegar, water, and salt to taste. As for the sirloin steaks, these are seasoned with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper, and cooked with olive oil, butter, and sliced garlic.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Make the dressing: Add the avocado, Greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, jalapeño, garlic powder, cilantro, vinegar, water, and salt to a food processor.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Blitz until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, then set the dressing aside.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Pat the steaks dry and rub both sides with salt and black pepper to taste.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a frying pan over high heat.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Once the pan is very hot and the oil is shimmering, add the steaks. Cook on one side for 1 minute, then flip them over and cook for another minute.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter and garlic to the pan. Continue cooking the steak to your desired level of doneness, flipping them every 30 seconds or so, and basting them with the garlicky butter as they cook.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Transfer the steaks to a plate and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Meanwhile, give the pan a quick rinse and dry, then add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the corn in a single layer, and leave to fry, untouched, for 4 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Give the corn a stir and sprinkle in some salt to taste. Continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes until charred to your liking.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Divide the lettuce between two bowls.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Scatter the charred corn, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, diced avocado, and crumbled cotija cheese over the lettuce.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Top the salad bowls with the sliced steak.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Spoon or drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Optionally top the salads with extra cotija cheese to serve.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

While we opt for a simple sprinkling of salt and pepper and a dose of aromatic richness from the garlicky butter when cooking the steak, you could absolutely flavor your steaks with something punchier if preferred. One great option, that would fit in perfectly with the Mexican-inspired theme, is to prep your sirloin steaks carne asada-style. To do this, you'll first need to rub a mixture of salt and liquid smoke over the meat, then pop it in the fridge to chill for at least two hours. Then, just before pan-frying (or grilling) the steaks, rub them with a dash of oil before coating them in a combination of pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Once they've had time to rest, you can slice them up and drizzle them with a lime juice for some extra brightness.

To create a more traditional liquid marinade, reach for ingredients like soy sauce, which is perfect for amping up the umami richness, and orange juice, which is ideal for adding both sweetness and tang. Finely chopped cilantro would also tie in with the avocado dressing fantastically, while red pepper flakes are perfect for turning up the heat. So, feel free to mix and match different ingredients to build a dressing that suits your taste preferences. And, if you have the patience, leaving the steaks to marinate overnight is the best way to ensure maximum flavor.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

If you're trying to avoid red meat or you simply want to switch things up, swapping the steak out for another protein source is no problem. This taco salad would be equally tasty topped with a chicken breast. Try rubbing the chicken with olive oil and taco seasoning before grilling or oven-baking it, then slicing it up and laying it over the salad base. Salmon fillets would work well here too. Pan-frying is an ideal cooking method to get that skin nice and crisp.

For a delicious plant-based option, crispy tofu is the perfect substitute. Just press some firm tofu to remove the excess liquid, dice it into cubes, and coat it in cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Then, the tofu pieces can be baked, air-fried, or sauteed until golden and crisp. Scatter them over the salad, and they'll add an amazing crunch. Alternatively, try tossing some chickpeas, cooked lentils, or black beans through the salad itself, for a fuss-free protein boost.