Taco Salad for One And All- Taco Salad Big & Small

We love tacos. As the weather gets warmer I like to change things around a bit and serve taco salad. I make large bowls for us and smaller bowls for the girls. It's fun for them to have a dish they can eat. Somehow even this small variation makes the meal a treat and there are many giggles as they break the bowl and eat it.

Taco Salad Bowls

This is a slight variation of a Kraft recipe.

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Makes: 4 servings

4 flour tortillas (8 inch) (if using wheat tortillas see tip below)
1 T chili powder, divided
3/4 lb. extra lean ground beef or 2 c shredded chicken(to make this a meatless dish use one 15oz can of black beans, drained)
1 cup matchlike carrot sticks (I just use salad with shredded carrot in it)
1/2 cup chunky salsa
4 cups torn salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Mexican style cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* I will also line the bottom of the taco bowl with black or refried beans.
* Fresh salsa for garnish

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Crumple four large sheets of foil to make four 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on top of each ball (see tip below); spray tortilla with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp. of the chili powder. Bake 6 to 8 min. or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake.)

MEANWHILE, brown meat with carrots (if they aren't in your salad) and remaining 2-1/2 tsp. chili powder in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

PLACE beans in tortilla bowl (if desired). Add salad to tortilla shells; top with meat mixture, cheese, cilantro and tomato.

TO make the smaller taco bowls press 1 tortilla into a 2-1/2-inch muffin cup to form a bowl. I put a small ball of foil in the tortilla to keep an opening for the filling. Bake 10 min.

TIP: to make shaping the tortillas easier heat tortillas about 10-15 seconds each so they aren't so rigid and prone to ripping. So one at a time because as they cool they are more prone to tearing.

TIP: Wheat tortillas won't shape themselves around the foil like flour tortillas. For wheat tortillas shape them inside a large oven proof bowl or around a smaller oven proof bowl.