Turns Out, Your Favorite Salad Belongs In A Taco

Sometimes the best meals come from unconventional pairings. When filling taco shells, thinking outside the box can yield seriously delicious results. Tortillas filled with the ingredients that make a delicious Caesar salad can be a game-changer when Taco Tuesday rolls around. Caesar salad is thought to have first been served by a resourceful Italian chef who was short on ingredients during an unexpected rush of tourists to his restaurant in Mexico. The chef, Caesar Cardini, got creative by tossing lettuce with olive oil, eggs, croutons, cheese, and Worcestershire sauce to serve to his guests. Fortunately, these same ingredients can make for a taco that is equally popular.

Tacos filled with Caesar salad ingredients can be conveniently tweaked to suit a variety of dietary restrictions and preferences. For a unique presentation, you can turn your tacos into a "smashed" version by placing seasoned ground chicken onto a tortilla and pressing down the pieces to cook in a pan. The cooked chicken packed inside the tortilla can then be used as a base for your choice of fillings.

Muscle up the tacos by adding grilled chicken and bacon crumbles for carnivorous eaters. Anchovies can be a contentious addition, bringing a savory, umami profile to your meal. For those avoiding meat, filling the tacos with boiled eggs or sauteed mushrooms can help beef up the fillings sans meat products. Plant-based alternatives can also be stacked inside the tacos. And, of course, just as a dish of Caesar salad wouldn't be complete without a final flourish of Parmesan cheese, you'll want to crown tacos with shreds of cheese or air-fried cheese crisps and one last drizzle of Caesar dressing before serving.

Soft and hard-shelled tacos filled with chopped pieces of dressing-coated romaine lettuce, Parmesan crisps, and homemade croutons can be satisfying in both the flavor and texture department. You may want to set aside some lettuce spears to serve as a side dish along with homemade lime tortilla chips, guac, and your favorite salsas for a tasty spread that allows guests to dictate exactly what is on their plate.