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Is there anything more fun than a bowl you can eat? A bread bowl is the best way to have chowder, hands down. Sure, there are lots of foods that don’t require any dishes, but there’s something very Willy Wonka (or Xzibit) about consuming a meal and then eating the plate. The dish…is a dish.

Maybe this is why I love taco salads so much — it’s everything I love about a taco, with a bucket hat-sized fried tortilla that soaks up all that taco flavor as you make your way through the salad bits. At the end, you have a bonus snack that’s even better than nachos.

People figured this out centuries ago, using halved loaves of stale bread when serving large numbers of guests (paper plates and event rentals not being invented yet). In lieu of plates, trenchers held the meats and other assorted viands, and when the meal concluded, the gravy-soaked slabs of bread were either eaten or collected and given as alms to the poor.

Use whatever fillings you like here; I’m a fan of taco-seasoned ground beef cut with TVP (it tastes like fast food tacos in the best way) or soy chorizo, but this time I’ve kept it simple with beans, corn and peppers in addition to the other salad stuff. Serves 4

Ingredients

4 burrito-size flour tortillas

1 can drained pinto beans or refried beans

1 teaspoon cooking oil or butter

1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels

½ red bell pepper (or 2 mini sweet peppers), diced

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheese

8 cups chopped lettuce (iceberg or romaine are best here)

Sliced black olives, sliced green onions, salsa, sour cream and taco sauce for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375o.
2. Set four 8-inch cake pans on a rimmed baking sheet, and gently press each tortilla into a cake pan to form four ruffled bowls. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake until they’re browned and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
3. While the tortilla bowls are baking, heat up the beans (in the microwave or on the stove).
4. Heat up the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat and saute the corn and diced peppers until everything is heated through and slightly softened. Stir in the taco seasoning and turn off the burner.
5. Divide the beans, sauteed vegetables and cheese between the tortilla bowls, then top with lettuce and other toppings.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/13/recipe-superabundant-taco-salad-tortilla-bowl/