How do I Make Taco Salad Bowls From Tortillas?

If you've ever ordered a taco salad at a restaurant, it probably arrived at your table in an impressive-looking bowl made from a large tortilla, baked or fried to a crisp and just roomy enough to house the salad's greens and vegetables. Fortunately, these deliciously edible taco salad bowls don't have to remain exclusively restaurant fare: You can make them easily and inexpensively at home. Fill them with your customized version of taco salad or any other type of salad for a memorable company dish.

A taco salad bowl. (Image: Christy Thompson/Hemera/Getty Images)

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400 F. Warm one tortilla for each taco salad bowl you plan to make in the microwave for 30 seconds. Coat each tortilla lightly with nonstick spray or, with a pastry brush, brush each side with approximately 1 tsp of olive or canola oil.

Step 2

Arrange each tortilla in a separate oven-safe bowl or turn the canning jars upside-down and drape the tortillas over the top. Adjust the folds of the tortilla so that when they bake, they will resemble taco salad tortilla bowls. If you need to make more tortilla bowls than you have oven-safe bowls or canning jars, prepare the tortillas in batches.

Step 3

Place the oven-safe bowls or the canning jars arranged on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the tortillas are slightly puffed and crispy golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes before using.

Things You'll Need

• Burrito-sized white or wheat flour tortillas

• Olive oil, canola oil or nonstick spray

• Pastry brush (optional)

• Large, oven-safe bowls or quart-sized canning jars

• Rimmed baking sheet

Tip

If you make taco salad tortilla bowls often, consider purchasing a tortilla bowl maker, a nonstick oven-safe mold that holds softened tortillas in the correct shape when baking. You can find tortilla bowl makers of various sizes sold by a many online kitchen gadget retailers.