Crispy Tortilla Bowl Taco Salad

This edible crispy tortilla shell bowl taco salad filled to the brim with chicken and fresh salad ingredients is delicious.

The crispy taco bowl is so good to munch on when eating this taco salad.

And the vegetables in the salad taste wonderful topped with a mixture of sour cream and salsa.

So, no need to add salad dressing to this taco salad, just mix together some sour cream and Mexican salsa.

The combination of spicy salsa and sour cream tastes so good together as a dressing.

About this Recipe

I used cooked chicken in this taco salad but if preferred, you can go meatless and add more beans to the mix.

Although this taco salad has refried beans in it, black beans would also taste great.

And the toppings in this recipe include lettuce, cabbage (red and green), cheese, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro and cucumbers.

For the crispy tortilla bowl, flour tortillas are used.

About Making the Crispy Tortilla Shell Bowls

Large flour tortillas are quickly dipped in a skillet with warm canola oil to make them pliable.

And then using tongs, they’re carefully transferred onto oven-safe bowls that are placed upside-down on a baking sheet that has high sides.

Next, the formed tortillas are baked in the oven (upside down).

After baking, when they’re cool enough to handle, the crispy tortillas are removed from the bowls.

Then the tortilla bowls are placed on a clean baking sheet pan and put back in the oven (right-side up) so that the middle of the tortilla can slightly brown.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Crispy Tortilla Bowls – Large flour tortillas and canola oil

Taco Salad – Crispy tortilla bowls, refried beans, prepared salsa, sour cream, bronze leaf lettuce, purple (red) cabbage, green cabbage, cucumber, radishes, cilantro, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, sharp cheddar cheese and bite size pieces of cooked chicken

Equipment – Cooking tongs, large skillet, and 2 baking sheet pans (one with high sides), 2 oven-safe bowls (medium size)

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the Crispy Tortilla Bowls:

The tortilla bowls will need to be baked in 2 batches because only 2 crispy shell bowls will fit on the pan at a time (this recipe makes 4 crispy tortilla shells).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Bowls:

On a sheet pan with high sides, place 2 oven-safe medium size bowls upside down so that the bottom of the bowls are facing up.

TIP – When handling the sheet pan (with high sides) that has the oven-safe bowls on it, be sure to keep it completely level so that the bowls don’t slip around.

Brush the surface of the bowls with canola oil and set aside as close to the skillet used for the tortillas as possible.

For the Tortillas:

In a skillet that’s large enough for a large flour tortilla to lay flat, add enough canola oil so that it’s about 1/2 inch deep in the pan.

Heat the skillet on low heat.

Once the oil is warm…

…lay one tortilla in the warm oil for just a couple seconds, just long enough so that the tortilla is pliable.

TURN THE HEAT OFF UNDER THE SKILLET.

With a pair of tongs, very carefully lift the tortilla from the oil and hold it over the skillet so that the loose oil will drip back into the skillet.

TIP – The tortilla will be very hot so make sure to use cooking tongs when handling the pliable tortilla.

Then carefully lay the tortilla over one of the upside-down bowls.

Use cooking tongs to shape the tortillas around the bowls (be careful not to rip the tortilla).

For the second tortilla, no need to turn the heat back on the skillet, the canola oil should still be hot enough to repeat the process for the tortilla (only 2 crispy taco bowls can be made at a time so these will need to be baked in 2 batches).

The oil should still be warm enough to make the 2nd tortilla pliable.

Bake:

In a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.), bake the two tortillas until the outsides of the shell are golden brown (about 10 minutes).

Watch them closely so they don’t get too brown.

Using hot mitts, very carefully remove the hot sheet pan with the bowls and tortillas.  

Be sure to keep the sheet pan completely level when handling it with the bowls and tortillas.

The sheet pan, bowls and tortillas will be hot.

After removing them from the oven, when the crispy tortillas and oven-safe bowls are cool enough to handle, remove the tortillas from the bowls.

If they’re sticking to the bowls, try carefully using a blunt dinner knife to gently pry them loose.

After the cooked tortilla shells are removed from the bowls, put them on a clean sheet pan (that doesn’t have oil on it).

Put the clean sheet pan (with the tortilla shells) in a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.) for about 3 minutes until the insides of the tortilla bowl turn a golden color.

Repeat the process to make the remaining two tortilla bowls.

For the Salad:

To the bottom of each tortilla bowl, add refried beans (approx. 1/4 of the can in each bowl).

Top the beans with salsa and sour cream.

Next,

…to the crispy tortilla bowls…

…add chopped lettuce, shredded green cabbage…

…chopped purple cabbage…

…small pieces of cucumber…

…sliced radish…

…chopped cilantro…

…bite size pieces of tomato…

…sliced red onion and sliced avocados.

Top with the cooked meat of your choice, cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Garnish the sour cream with chopped cilantro and serve.

Serving Suggestions

This taco salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken, pulled pork or steak.

Here are some additional toppings you may like guacamole, homemade salsa or homemade pico de gallo.

Recipes Made with Black Beans

Here are more quick and easy recipes with black beans you may like “Spicy Chicken with Black Beans“, “Chipotle Lime Potato Salad with Black Beans” and “Barbecue Turkey Flatbread Pizza“.

Mexican Food Recipes

More Mexican Food Recipes You May Like:

Spicy Chicken and Lime Taquitos

One-Skillet Enchilada Sauce Taco Meat

Chipotle Shrimp Guacamole

Chipotle Lime Tortilla Chips