Taco Bar Side Dishes
These Taco Bar Side Dishes are crowd pleasers!
Spice up your Taco Tuesday with these side dish recipe ideas!
Who doesn’t love a good Taco Bar?! I sure do!!
Taco Bars have been an absolute staple in my life.
For years, we’ve hosted wedding showers, parties, family gatherings, etc all centered around Quick and Easy Pulled Pork Chalupa. For any party, taco night is always a GREAT idea!
Whenever people ask “What is that?” I answer: “It’s the ultimate taco night.”
Many, many evenings have been spent eating big platefuls of bean chalupa with all the toppings! Plates piled high with what resembles taco salad – but it’s an easy way to allow everyone to make their taco bowl exactly how they want it!
Quick & Easy Pulled Pork Chalupa is the ultimate party dish since you can make it in the crockpot, make it ahead of time, and freezes beautifully. It’s juicy, tender pulled pork with pinto beans and lots of cumin and chili powder! Green chilis help give it a little spice, without being overpowering. Bean Chalupas are filled with super simple ingredients, but packs a major flavor punch! It’s a great option for a crowd in that it feeds 12-20 without blinking an eye.
This is a simple recipe for Game Day or tailgating, too!
Best part?! Just add everything to your slow cooker, lay everything out, and let your people serve themselves whenever they want.
You can ask your guests to bring all kinds of taco toppings and just have a grand time together around the table.
Planning a Taco Bar
This is one of the most helpful things when planning a Taco Tuesday Party! Ask your people to bring something! There is no need for you to do all the work. Give your people specific items to bring, and then have the serving “vessel” labeled and ready to go when they arrive!
Of course, if you need a good Ground Beef Taco Recipe, this one is a winner. I love filling the taco shells and placing them in the middle of the table for the main course of any taco party! People reach in and grab a taco, add their own toppings and get to eating!
When I’m meal planning, I’ll make up another round of taco meat and freeze it for later.
Need some Taco Topping Ideas?
Taco Topping Ideas:
- Black Beans
- Pico de Gallo
- Shredded Romaine Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Onions – I prefer vidalia over red onion, but whatever you have it great!
- Grilled Corn
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheese
- Cotija Cheese
- Black Olives
- Fresh Cilantro
- Jalapenos or any other spicy peppers you like!
- Fresh lime – a squeeze of lime juice just makes any taco sing!
You might be wondering, Ash, you didn’t list salsa! That’s a whole category unto itself!
Let’s talk about the salsa, friends! They act not only as an appetizer, but a topping for your taco bar. So, be sure to have plenty, and copious amounts of crispy tortilla chips ready!
Salsa Ideas for a Taco Bar:
Creamy Guacamole is a must!
This Easy Guacamole Recipe from Balancing Motherhood is so delicious!
Fresh & Zesty Salsa from The American Patriette is just so so good! It’s like the one you get in the Mexican restaurant, which is super smooth, and not chunky!
Watermelon Salsa from Running in a Skirt is the different salsa you want on your taco bar! It’s sweet and tart, and pairs perfectly with salty tortilla chips!
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa are great – and this recipe adds in some avocado for a creamy mouthfeel that is next-level delicious!
Mexican Layer Dip is also a *must-have* for taco bar ideas!
Everyone makes their own burrito bowls with soft tortillas or classic chips, and having a good choice of salsas is always a winner!
Need a super simple dish to bring to a party? Layout three kinds of salsa on a board, then pack in as many tortilla chips as you can. It’s a great way of adding to the meal, it looks great, but was super easy to assemble! << My kind of thing!
Taco Bar Side Dishes
Now, let’s chat about all the taco bar side dishes you could offer! There is a LOT you could choose from, this doesn’t mean you have to include them all. ((Wow! What a fun taco night that would be!!)
Here are the usual taco sides, that you can assemble more than cook:
Refried Beans
Fresh Corn – especially if it’s right out of your garden, in the middle of summer!
No Mexican meal is complete without Easy Spanish Rice Recipe – made with chunky tomato salsa, cilantro, and cumin! It’s a delightful taco bar side dish idea for any night of the week!
Finally, give any of these amazing Taco Bar Side Dishes a try!
Taco Bar Side Dishes
Skillet Mexican Street Corn is a quick and easy side dish for just about any meal. Buttery corn with a creamy sauce, a splash of lime and cotija cheese.
This easy Air Fryer Corn On the Cob, made with pantry staples, is juicy and cooked to tender charred perfection in just 10 minutes - and makes a fantastic side dish for everything.
Mexican Layer Dip is the old-school dip recipe you crave! It's the perfect appetizer and taco bar side dish you need to serve!
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa is a delicious way to use up summer's ripe produce! It's a great appetizer before the taco bar starts, and works great as a side dish!
Quick and easy to make, serve this Black Eyed Peas Bean Salad as a side or enjoy it as a salsa with tortilla chips! This salad, like most bean salads, is cheap easy, and fast to make with loads of fantastic flavours melded together.
Ensalada de Coditos is a creamy and yummy Mexican elbow pasta salad. It can be made a day or two ahead of time and perfect for barbecues, picnics, and potlucks.
Black Beans Recipe (2 secret ingredients that take it over the top!)
This easy, from-scratch Black Beans Recipe combines bold savory flavors like onion, garlic, and smoky cumin with humble beans, and transforms them into something special. Two pantry-staple SECRET ingredients are added at the end to create a wonderfully balanced flavor profile!
Creamy, colorful, crunchy, and packed with vitamin C, this vegan coleslaw is an ideal easy vegan summer salad for your next BBQ, potluck, or taco night. Your taste buds will thank you while you crunch down on refreshingly delicious cabbage mixed with a luscious vegan mayo dressing.
Chimichurri Broccoli Salad: A delicious way to eat your broccoli!
A vibrant Argentinean dressing transforms fresh broccoli into a fabulous side dish. The bright fresh flavors of vinegar, garlic and herbs are front and center in this crave-worthy broccoli salad. And it takes only 20 minutes to prepare.
Doritos taco salad recipe is a great choice for tacos, nachos and cheese, and spicy Doritos lovers.
