The Lunch Lady
Walking tacos with roasted salsa and elote corn salad
Seasoned beef over crunchy corn chips, with homemade roasted tomato salsa and a creamy elote corn salad finished with crushed chile-lime rolled chips.
Published
- Servings
- 8 walking tacos, with about ½ cup corn salad each and extra salsa
- Total time
- About 1 hour 15 minutes for the full meal; about 30 minutes for tacos with prepared salsa and no corn salad
Taco Tuesday, with crunch
Walking tacos are pretty simple. Good taco meat, corn chips, cheese and whatever toppings you like. You can build them in the bag or put everything in a bowl like we did on the lunch trays.
I finish the meat with fresh lime juice and a touch of apple cider vinegar. Then I taste it again. A little more salt or acid can be the difference between decent taco meat and a really good bite. Taste some with a chip, too. That's how you're going to eat it.
Roast the salsa, crush the chips
I made a roasted salsa with an onion, a jalapeño, garlic and four tomatoes. They go on a sheet tray at 400°F until the vegetables brown and the garlic turns golden. Blend with cilantro, lime, salt and a little cumin. Pull the garlic out early if it's ready before everything else.
The elote corn salad got crushed chile-lime rolled chips on top. I used Zack's Mighty. Takis work great, too. That crunch with the creamy corn is amazing. Taste the salad before it goes out, then try a bite with the chips. Add the chips right before serving so they keep their crunch.
Home recipe
Walking tacos with roasted salsa and elote corn salad
The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer
- Servings
- 8 walking tacos, with about ½ cup corn salad each and extra salsa
- Prep time
- About 25 minutes
- Cook time
- About 40 to 50 minutes, with the meat cooking while the vegetables roast
- Total time
- About 1 hour 15 minutes for the full meal; about 30 minutes for tacos with prepared salsa and no corn salad
Equipment: Wide skillet, two rimmed sheet pans, blender or food processor, fine grater and mixing bowls. Small chip bags or bowls for serving.
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go.
Taco meat
Walking taco toppings
Use this instead of the prepared salsa above.
Roasted tomato salsa, optional; makes about 2½ cups
Elote corn salad, optional; serves 8 as a side
Instructions
Roast the vegetables and corn, if using
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and garlic with the 1 Tbsp olive oil on one rimmed sheet pan. Spread out in a single layer, with the tomatoes cut-side down. Keep the garlic together at one end so it's easy to remove.
- On a second sheet pan, toss the dry corn with its 1 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer. Roast the two pans on separate racks, swapping their positions halfway through. Stir the corn at that point, too.
- Check the garlic after 15 minutes and lift it out as soon as it's tender and golden, usually around 15 to 20 minutes. Keep roasting the other salsa vegetables until soft with browned edges, about 35 to 45 minutes total. The tomatoes should collapse and release their juices. Roast the corn until golden in spots, about 30 to 40 minutes. Give either pan more time if needed; crowded pans and wetter vegetables take longer.
- Let the salsa vegetables stop steaming heavily before blending. Let the corn lose its heat before dressing it. Meanwhile, grate the shallot into the corn salad's 1 Tbsp lime juice and let it sit for 10 minutes. Cook the beef while the pans are in the oven.
Brown and finish the taco meat
- Mix the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, oregano, pepper and ½ tsp salt in a small bowl. Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the beef in two batches if needed, breaking it into small crumbles. Let released moisture cook away so the meat browns. Spoon off excess fat, leaving about 1 Tbsp with the beef for the spices.
- Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the seasoning blend and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring so the spices don't burn. Add ⅓ cup broth, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the meat is coated and moist without liquid pooling in the pan. Add a small splash of broth if it gets dry. Cook ground beef to 160°F before tasting.
- Take the pan off the heat. Stir in 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. Taste, then add salt a pinch at a time and lime or vinegar about ½ tsp at a time until the meat tastes full and bright. Taste a bite with a corn chip before the final salt adjustment. Don't skip this finish.
Blend the roasted salsa
- Put the roasted tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and garlic in a blender or food processor with their pan juices. Add the cilantro, 1 Tbsp lime juice, ½ tsp salt and cumin. For less heat, start with half the roasted jalapeño and add more to taste.
- Pulse to the texture you like, keeping a little body. If still warm, follow your blender's venting instructions; don't seal hot ingredients in a closed blender cup.
- Taste with a chip. Add more lime or salt in small amounts until it tastes right. If too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time. Measure about 1 cup for the tacos and serve the rest alongside.
Finish the elote corn salad
- Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime-shallot mixture and lime zest in a large bowl. Fold in the cooled corn, finely chopped cilantro and about two-thirds of the cotija.
- Taste the dressed corn. If it tastes dull or too much like mayonnaise, add fresh lime juice ½ tsp at a time, then salt a small pinch at a time as needed. Taste a spoonful with some of the crushed chile-lime chips before the last salt adjustment; both cotija and chips are salty.
- Just before serving, scatter the remaining cotija and crushed chips over the top. Keep some coarse chip pieces for crunch. Don't stir the chips into the dressing ahead of time.
Build the walking tacos
- Lightly crush the corn chips in their bags, then open the bags along a long edge and fold the edges outward. Or divide chips among eight bowls, which gives more room for the toppings.
- Divide the hot meat over the chips. Add cheese, lettuce and salsa, then any optional toppings. Serve the corn salad alongside and eat while the chips are crunchy.
Recipe notes
- Regular 80/20 ground beef is a good budget choice. Use the same amount and method.
- Quick version: use taco seasoning packets sized for 2 lb beef instead of the homemade dry blend and starting salt. I like Siete or Costco's taco seasoning, but any packet you enjoy works. Follow the packet's liquid directions, simmer until moist without pooling, then finish with the fresh lime, apple cider vinegar and salt to taste. Prepared salsa makes this even quicker.
- Salsa and corn salad are optional. For the fastest meal, make the meat and use prepared toppings. The full-meal timing allows for roasting both pans while the beef cooks.
- Taste the corn salad and taco meat before serving. Finish the meat with lime and a touch of apple cider vinegar; finish the corn with lime and salt, checking a bite with the chips.
- For another taco night, try my Wagyu beef tacos or chicken verde tacos.