Leftover Hamburger Taco Salad – An Easy 10 Minute Recipe

If you find yourself with a few leftover burgers after your backyard cookout turn them into this delicious Leftover Hamburger Taco Salad recipe!

Grilled burgers are crumbled and seasoned with traditional taco seasoning and then piled on a bed of tortilla chips or in a tortilla shell filled with lettuce, onion, corn and black beans. Then top it off with some salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream and you have yourself an easy to make meal that takes only a few minutes to prepare.

In fact, it literally took me only 10 minutes to make! Because the burgers are already cooked, all that is required is to reheat the meat with a few spices and salsa.

And after a busy weekend of cooking an easy weeknight meal is a welcome sight! Sure you could just reheat the cooked hamburgers and pile it on a bun for dinner.

But honestly, after a holiday weekend or a large cookout with family and friends, I am ready for something different to eat over the next few days.

I will try to use as many leftovers as I can, but in a different and more creative way. For instance, I will make Leftover Hamburger Casserole with leftover burgers and sweet corn.

But one of my favorite ways to reuse the cooked hamburgers is to make tacos or this taco salad recipe. It’s quick, easy and simple.

Not to mention, each person can customize their lunch or dinner with the toppings of their choice!

What Goes Into A Taco Salad?

So what exactly is a taco salad? If you ask 10 different people what a taco salad is, you are likely to get 10 different answers.

The best news is that they are all correct! A taco salad can be anything you want it to be with a few key ingredients.

First, it must included seasoned ground beef or chicken. Then, in order for it be a salad and not just a taco, you must included shredded or chopped lettuce.

Finally, the third ingredient that is required is a tortilla shell bowl or tortilla chips. The lettuce and seasoned meat will sit in the tortilla bowl or on top of the chips for an added crunch that tacos are known for.

Okay, technically you could skip the tortilla shell, but then it would just be considered a salad.

So now you get to decide what you want to add to your taco salad to make it complete. Everyone has their own preferences, however, here are the most common leftover hamburger taco salad additions:

• shredded cheese
• corn
• black beans
• diced onions
• diced jalapeños
• sour cream
• guacamole
• sliced avocados
• cilantro
• taco sauce
• hot sauce

So now that you know what toppings that you can use, it is time to decide how to serve it. On a busy weeknight, I typically pull out a bag of tortilla chips for the base of the salad.

However, when I have extra time, I prefer to make tortilla shell bowls. Although you can buy the bowls at the grocery, it is much more economical to make your own.

How To Make A Tortilla Shell Bowl

There are several different methods that you can use to make homemade tortilla shell bowls. So I will give you a few different options.

1. Aluminum Foil Method – Place 4 large balls of aluminum foil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Then drape and form large flour tortilla shells over top of the foil in the shape of a bowl.

Bake in a preheated oven set at 350°F (177°C) for 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the shells as they can turn brown very quickly.

Remove them from the oven when the edges start to turn light brown.

2. Bowl Method – Spray both sides of the flour tortillas with a light coat of olive oil spray. Then place the flour tortillas down inside a 1 quart, oven safe bowl.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes. Remove the bowls from the oven when the tops of the tortilla shells begin to turn light brown in color.

Use tongs to take the shell out of each bowl and fill it with your leftover hamburger taco salad ingredients.

3. Muffin Tin Tortilla Shell Bowls – Flip a 12-cup muffin pan upside down. Then spray each tortilla shell with olive oil spray.

Carefully place each tortilla in the space between 4 muffin cups, pressing gently to form a bowl shape. The bowl will actually take on more of a square shape rather than being completely round.

Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

Leftover Hamburger Taco Salad Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large cooked hamburgers*
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 packet of taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup chunky salsa
• 1 can of sweet corn, drained & cooked
• 1 can of black beans, drained & cooked

* I used 2 cooked burgers that were half a pound each. So if you have smaller hamburgers you may want to use 3.

If you want to make this recipe and don’t have any leftover meat, use 1 pound of ground beef. Brown and drain and proceed with the recipe instructions listed below.

Suggested Serving Ingredients

• Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Shell
• Shredded lettuce
• Mexican blend shredded cheese
• Tomatoes, diced
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa

INSTRUCTIONS

To make leftover hamburger taco salad you will need to grind the leftover hamburgers in a food processor or crumble the meat by hand. Set aside.

Heat the corn and black beans in the microwave or cook on the stove per the instructions on the can. Set aside.

In the mean time, in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onions and saute for 3 minutes.

Add the crumbled leftover hamburger meat to the skillet and cook until warm through, approximately 3 minutes.

Pour in the taco seasoning and chunky salsa and stir. Continue to heat until the juices from the salsa evaporates, approximately 3-4 minutes.

Serve the meat over a bed of tortilla chips or in a tortilla shell bowl filled with shredded lettuce. Then add the corn, black beans, and whatever taco toppings that you prefer.

Enjoy! Mary

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