Paula Deen's Lean: Taco Salad

Need a quick dinner for a busy weeknight? Try this one! We love anything tacos, burritos, quesadillas in our house. This is why I had to try Paula Deen's Taco Salad. With a short list of ingredients and directions consisting of only FIVE sentences...I knew it was the perfect dish our crazy schedule. This dish is extremely easy to make lean. Check it out!



TACO SALAD
Serves 8


INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 pound (4 ounces) 2 % sharp Cheddar, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, washed, drained and shredded
• 1 pound EXTRA lean ground beef (96/4), browned, crumbled and drained
• 1 cup KRAFT Fat Free Catalina salad dressing
• 2 cups Tostitos Baked Tortilla chips, crushed
• 1 cup salsa
• Baked Tortilla chips, to serve

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cheese, onion, lettuce, and extra lean ground beef.

Add Catalina dressing and mix well.

Just before serving, add the Baked Tostito Chips, tossing to combine with other ingredients. Top each serving with spoonful of salsa. 

RESULTS

We all loved this dish because it tasted great! I loved it because it took about 20 minutes to throw together and it was very easy to make lean. The next time I make it, I am going to try mixing iceberg lettuce with some spinach. This will add a little more nutrition in the form of vitamins and fiber. There really isn't much to iceberg lettuce. Throwing in some spinach won't impact the taste, but it will add more of the good stuff our bodies need!


Check out the difference in nutrition facts just by using a fat free dressing, extra lean beef and a little less cheese. I was wowed by the decrease in fat. The carbs went up, but that is because fat free dressings compensate with a little more sugar. In this case, I think it is well worth it!


NUTRITION FACTS (Per Serving):


BEFORE: 521.38 calories/37g fat/  27.56g carbohydrate / 21.97g protein / 3.26g fiber


AFTER: 245.38 calories/ 5.4g fat/  31.12g carbohydrate / 18.32g protein / 3.75g fiber


SAVES: 276 calories and 31.6g fat

Enjoy & have a fabulous weekend!! 

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