This copycat Wendy's taco salad recipe tastes amazing and so similar to the restaurant classic! One of the best things about this recipe is the versatility. You can add whatever toppings you'd like and cook it in the slow cooker or on the stove top. This is perfect for those picky eaters at home who love classic tacos flavor.

Why choose this one

So simple - Making recipes in the crock pot or instant pot is such an easy way to cook dinner. My instant pot hamburger soup is another quick dinner recipe that my kids love!

Can be made with leftovers - To make this recipe even easier, feel free to use leftover taco meat from making gluten free tacos or ground beef! Ground beef reheats well in the instant pot and you won't even be able to tell it's leftover.

Best of both worlds - Taco salad can be tricky to eat considering it's half nachos and half salad! But I recommend eating the chips first and then using a fork to eat the rest of the salad. You can also grab extra chips at the end for those last bites.

For more of a full meal, I like to serve with green Chile rice and maybe even a virgin margarita!

Let's get what you need

One of my favorite things about this recipe is you can add/swap most of the ingredients to your preference! Here are the basics you need for your taco salad with some alternative ingredients.

Tortilla chips: Crispy tortilla chips are perfect on taco salads but feel free to use a flour tortilla or corn tortillas if you don't have chips. Doritos also work well for a Dorito taco salad!

Ground beef: We prefer lean ground beef for this recipe but you can use almost any taco meat. Lean ground turkey works well as well as ground chicken. If you have different leftover meats, combine them for a taco meat mixture and nobody will know the difference.

Lettuce - Shredded romaine lettuce is a great way to add more volume to your taco salad as well as provide a nice crisp texture. Crisp lettuce makes such a huge difference in salad recipes!

Your favorite toppings - Feel free to add sour cream, black beens, cheddar cheese, pinto beans, lime juice, avocado slices, black olives, etc. to your taco salad! The options are almost endless.

How to make taco salad

You can make the best taco salad in the crock pot instead of dirtying a large skillet. There's no advanced cooking skills required for this recipe! You could also just make it on the stovetop if you prefer.

Step 1: Place the beef, beans, tomato sauce and salsa in the crockpot and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 hours

Step 2: Crush tortilla chips on plates then add some shredded lettuce then top that with the crockpot chili

Step 3: Then finish with sour cream, salsa, cheese and fresh lime juice and taco salad dressing if you would like.

Pro tip: Add homemade gluten free taco seasoning to the crockpot for extra flavor.