When I have done taco salad for a mob of kids, we call it "walking tacos" and it's a meat mix, bean mix....then they go down the line putting in onions lettuce and cheese.
We serve it in those individual bags of taco chips...and we open them ahead of time so that wen it's time to eat they just grab a bag ladle some stuff in and go eat....we serve with forks.
We cook meat with food service size cans of tomato sauce and season with chili powder, garlic powder cumin, oregano and very finely chopped onions, done in the cuisinart.
Figure 6 kids to a pound of meat....depending on the fat content of the meat. And 12 to 16 kids per head of lettuce, shred that in the cuisinart, using the slicing disc. and 5 kids servings to a cup of shredded cheese...it usually says on the bag how many cups.
We also make chili beans cooked in the tomato sauce....but not so many....
I would soak and cook 3 pounds of dry chilibeans....doesn't take any time to put them into a pot with water over night, and then drain and simmer with the tomato sauce in the morning.
If you are in a hurry to get them served, you could put the meat and sauce over the chips in the bags and have several stations where they can add the extras.
Oh and we serve sour cream too....but no guacamole..:-)
Linda C

Hi Linda!

Your version sounds delicious  but it also sounds like a lot more work. But IÂm willing to keep an open mind! :-)

IÂll probably have more questions  but here is my biggest concern: I love the idea of serving this in the individual bags  but is the portion large enough for dinner?

Tell them to pick up 2....It's large enough for the girls but not for the boys.
Frankly it's not more work....Cook and season the meat.
Soak the beans and cook and season while the meat is cooking. Shred lettuce....or if you have deep pockets, buy bags of shredded lettuce, buy cheese...open bags of chips, spoon meat into the bags and pass them out at the beginning of the line.
In my experience, kids would just as soon not have raw tomato chunks nor raw onions in their walking tacos.

I did a "build your own" taco bar for my daughter's graduation party several years ago.

Had the meat in crockpots, and big bowls of fixin's and everyone made their taco as they liked them. Went very well, everything could be made ahead, and kids and adults alike loved it! I also had a crockpot of Spanish Rice as a side.

Whats a "Cutie"?

Linda

With the disclaimer that I've never fed a big crowd I'm thinking... A quarter pound of ground meat is a typical serving. You'll be stretching it with the beans, so let's say you cut it 1:1, you're looking at eight servings per pound of meat. Both recipes call for three pounds of meat. To me that makes 25 servings sound a LOT more reasonable than 50.

I'm liking Linda's proportions.

I would not mix the beans and meat. Lots of kids don't like beans, just my take on things but I would do hamburger meat and not turkey, too.

Lots of kids don't eat meat...lots don't eat beans...lots don't eat onions especially raw.
We had a college chorus that our church housed for lunch, dinner and breakfast....the lunch was a make your own sack lunch....meat cheese bread carrots an apple and a bottle of water!
I did the dinner....and my Gawd....the list of the things they couldn't eat....ranged from pork to meat to dairy to wheat to onions to salt to nuts...
I ended up making a beef tomato sauce and pasta casserole, green salad with self applied dressing and a bowl of plain pinto beans....no salt no nothing! And they got eaten!!
Opened my eyes!!!!

I make a quick taco salad mix similar to this with ground beef, minus the olives. (Especially for a bunch of kids, whom I don't think would miss them at all.) We also crush the chips (in the bag) and toss the bag of them with the beef and salad stuff (including dressing) right before serving. Like Linda said, that amount seems closer to serving 25 than 50. I know when I'm hungry, I can eat a lot of it. One thing I discovered was to let the meat mixture cool a bit before mixing it with the greens, as they tend to wilt them into a nasty looking mess. Other than that, I think it's a great thing to serve.

Thanks for figuring out my ''What's for Dinner?'' problem for me tonight!

Another vote for a 'taco bar' as opposed to taco salad.

The thing about teenagers is that they're picky. In my own home, I had a super-low tolerance for that. But when you're dealing with a crowd, it is what it is. Their parents screwed up, and you're stuck with the problem.

Some will want meat only. Some don't eat meat. Some girls fill up on salad. Some guys wouldn't touch lettuce with a 10-foot pole. Mostly, they think it's their God-given right to "choose". And once you mix all the ingredients together, well, they no longer have a choice, do they?

I'd do crockpots with hamburger meat and that gross meat substitute, both with taco seasoning. Also beans. Huge bowls of shredded lettuce and grated cheese. Lots of salsa, both mild and medium.

I disagree a little with the quantities others have listed. I think a lb. of hamburger will easily fill 8 tacos instead of 6. On the other hand, I think a normal teenaged boy would be more likely to eat 3 instead of 2. Assuming they were good, of course... :)

Just my take.

sm

IÂve decided to do LindaÂs "Walking Tacos" idea and IÂm really excited about it. I can see this becoming a favorite for the kids and adults alike.

IÂm still a little nervous about the size  I tend to agree that most of the students will only eat one bag (with all the fixings)  but I suppose some may want 2? The numbers are in and there will be 100 High School Students and 20 adults to feed. Do you think I would be safe planning for 200?

Linda (or anyone else who has had these) - Would you split the bags length wise to make for a bigger "bowl"?

Thanks everyone! :-)

No...we use Fritoes and the bags are roughly 4 or 5 inches by 6 or 7. The top, narrow part is meant to open easily. Open there you don't want spills.
We have one kid who is expert at bursting chip bags! When we serve them his job is to open the bags...last time he got carried away and we had about 20 opened bags too many.
I predict that you will hand out 180 bags of chips with the filling.
Some kids will just ladle on the meat and sauce if you let them, others will go for lots of lettuce and cheese....and ask if you have any "Ranch"....kids eat Ranch dressing on everything!
And you're right...kids love the walking tacos....but it's expensive!!
Will you have cookies or something? that will cut down on the bags of stuff you will need.
Have fun....when they see what you are serving, you will be instant heroes!
Linda c

Can I brown 10 lbs of Ground Turkey at once?

I was in Smart N Final looking at Taco Seasoning. One of the items they sell is a package with instructions for cooking 10 lbs of ground meat: Brown the meat, drain, add package seasoning and a quart of water, simmer for 30 minutes. I may be wrong about the amount of water and time  but you get the idea. So, I was wondering how one would brown 10 lbs of meat at one time?

I thought I could use the insert from a roasting oven and place it over 2 gas burners on my stove. What do you think?

IÂm planning of cooking 30 lbs total.

As always - Thanks! :-)

I don't brown more than 5 pounds at a time....and I have a BIG pan...
I wouldn't use packaged taco seasoning....just salt a but of garlic powder, ground chilis and cumin...or just chili powder with extra cumin and a bit of oregano. Who knows what else is in "taco seasoning"...?
It's a pain to brown only 5 pounds at a time....but 30 pounds????
Lets do the math...1 pound of meat will make about 1 3/4 cups of browned meat and will serve 8 for the meat in a walking taco.
So 10 pounds of meat will serve 80, and 20 pounds 160....add 2 or 3 pounds "for the pot" and a little over 20 pounds should serve 180 walking tacos easily.
I don't know the fat content of the meat you are using....so consider that 80% lean is 20% fat which I pour off.
I have never done it, but I have read than you can brown meat in a roaster in the oven by adding water....then draining it and allowing the grease to rise and removing and adding the water back to make your sauce.
Whatever....browning that much meat is the largest part of the meal.
Linda c

Found this about boiling 10 lbs in a large pot. Since I will be simmering with spices after it has been browned  what do you think of this idea?

I know people who do that....I never have.
But I sure would save and strain that cooking liquid, chill and remove the fat and use the broth in the sauce.
The woman on the blog is obviously ignorant about the fact that meat that is 27% fat is more than 1/4 waste. and it better be lots cheaper to be a good buy.

I am not a fan of ground turkey, just don't like the flavor that much- but as it is poultry and not beef, I would be wary of overcooking it and keeping it warm for awhile. I would at least research that aspect before committing to turkey.

I've found that a mixture of half ground turkey/ half ground beef works well for chili & ought to be good for tacos, too. Chili is highly seasoned, like tacos & turkey is plastic enough that I don't get the 'turkey' taste and I've had no complaints about the mixture from the rest of the crew here. Have a feeling that they would squeal long & loud if I tried serving 100% turkey chili, though.

Also, I remember my dad using the Nesco to make large batches of chili. I know he cooked the meat in there but don't know how well it 'browned'.

Disclaimer: IÂm really not a good cook, not a lot of experience. But I can follow a recipe and I enjoy food. :-)

I thought I would plan for 200 walking tacos. I agree that is probably more than will be used, but my co-chair is worried 200 will not be enough, so it is a compromise.

Smart & Final sells a 5 lb chub of Ground Turkey for $5.??  Pretty darn cheap. I was thinking that with all the Taco spices that the meat will be simmered with, it will simply taste like taco meat. We were planning on 6 portions per pound  hence the 30 lbs.

Linda  IÂm sure your bean recipe would not be difficult and it would probably taste better than cold beans, but one of my goals with this menu is to make it as easy as possible. This way, we can do these when away from home and only have to worry about reheating previously cooked meat.

Below are the quantities I have come up with if anyone cares to comment. :-)

Jeri (feeling woefully inadequate>

30 lb. ground meat
taco seasoning
12 (30 oz) cans black beans
24 cups diced tomato - (6.5 lb)
48 cups grated cheese  (2 5 lb bag)
48 cups shredded lettuce (3-5 lb bags)
24 cups salsa
20 cups sour cream
20 cups guacamole (may not buy this)
20 bunches green onions chopped
16 cups sliced black olives
Jalapenos - ?
Ranch Dressing  2 bottles
200 bags Frito Chips

Kids will prefer plain old pinto beans to black beans.
30 pounds of meat is way too much...20 more like it.
Skip the guacamole and the black olives....not important to kids.
What sized bottles of Ranch? if offered they will eat a lot!
And I am not sure how necessary it is to have BOTH ranch and sour cream.
48 cups of lettuce yields 1/4 cup per taco...pretty close allowance! Probably enough, but close.
Take the money you save from the olives and the sour cream and sub some beef for some of the turkey...
Good luck!!
Linda c

Jeri I think you are a hero doing this, my hat is off to you! I have never heard of this before. What a hoot!

I can't really comment on the amounts, I will defer to Linda on that , she knows her stuff.

However I would stick with the sour cream, my kids and all their friends love sour cream on tacos, nachos and burritos. Mind you Ranch dressing is not a big item here in Canada so.....

I agree with Linda olives and quac are usually not a favourite of kids and are pretty pricey. I'd skip them but Jalapenos for sure!

Can't wait to hear how it turns out.

Linda  I got the idea for the Ranch Dressing from you. I would have never thought of it otherwise, but it sounded like a good idea for those who love Ranch on everything. Costco sells 2 40 oz bottles in a package, so that is what I was going to get. IÂm definitely going to serve sour cream, would you still recommend the Ranch or should I nix it?

OK  IÂll switch the Black Beans for Pinto, nix the black olives and guacamole and add some beef. :-) I can buy an extra bag of shredded lettuce if you think it wise  a 5 lb bag is only $3.99.

Hi Chase! I never heard of Walking Tacos either, but I can see a lot of potential for these which is why IÂm excited to try them on the group.

As always - I truly appreciate all the help.

Jeri

Yeah, every time I make taco meat for a crowd I use turkey. Everyone loves it.

Nobody can ever tell it is turkey, because of all the flavoring, and since there is so little fat I find it to be way less greasy then hamburger meat, it seems to hold up to the long term heating in the crock pot nicely.

Kids LOOOOV the ranch dressing...at least the kids I know do. and at schools too. Not too sure if that's so coast to coast....but before you decide ask a couple of kids, or mothers. My experience is HS kids will pour a puddle of ranch dressing on a plate and dip their shoe in it if that's all there is. Ask a couple of moms if there kids eat Ranch dressing on everything or if that's a regional thing....but I don't think so. Kids I know like "ranch" on pizza, hamburgers, tacos, fried chicken, pizza rolls, baby carrots, celery, apples, grilled cheese...we keep squeeze bottles of the stuff lined up in the church refrigerators because some kids want it on everything but a brownie!
Get sour cream too. Why not.
Be up on the fat content of the turkey you buy....some can be pretty high in fat and isn't a big saving over beef. I guess that adding beef will give a beefier taste to the meat than using all turkey!

My thoughts when cooking or planning for a kid meal is, it's not every day. I try to plan healthful meals but I also like to give them something they don't often get at home...like walking tacos with sour cream AND ranch dressing!
You'll be a hero!!

Success! Â IÂm thrilled to say that everyone loved the Tacos! Â Thanks so much to all of you (Linda especially) who helped me with this.

Yesh - I received a lot of flax this week over some of my decisions, but I stuck to my guns and was prepared to resign after the event if need be. However, these went over so well that I think we will be serving them at our Jazz Festival later in the year.

No one there had ever heard of Walking Tacos before and I got some interesting comments from the kids as they came through the line. Â Some were more than a little skeptical. Â The one who was the loudest in her skepticism came back for seconds. :-) One kid said "These make me happy!" LOL - That was the Booster PresidentÂs son. Â :-)

I had prepared for 200 tacos  but as Linda predicted, we ate far less. I've not counted the remaining chip bags, but it was less than 150.

I discovered that cooking ground meat in a Roaster Oven works really well. Â If any of you cook bulk ground meat for your freezer or ??, you should try this. Â I only used 10 lbs, but IÂm sure 15 would have worked too. Â Just turn the oven up to about 400, place the meat in breaking it up as best as you can, and cover with the lid. Â Every 10 minutes or so, stir and break up the meat more. Â It will take about an hour to brown the meat. Â I then drained the fat and placed it back into the RO with the water and spices and let it simmer with the lid off for about 40 minutes - stirring occasionally. So easy!

After testing this method earlier in the week, I cooked the remaining 20 lbs in 2 Roaster Ovens 2 hours before heading to the school so that it would be hot and ready to go. I combined all the meat into one roaster which I plugged in at the school to keep warm.

One of the difficulties of heading the food committee is that everyone has a different idea about food safety. One of the new moms who showed up to help, was not happy that I was serving the shredded lettuce right from the bag. I may yet hear more on this one  she may complain to "higher powers". And "they" (the boosters) wonder why no one wants this job...

I'm happy. :-)

SEE!! LOL! I knew they would love it! Pull a few more home runs like that and no one will question what you are doing!
And thanks for the tip on the roaster oven for cooking the hamburger!

What was with the complaint about the lettuce from the bag? Did she think you should re-wash pre-washed shredded lettuce?
If that becomes an issue, put her in charge of lettuce. Buy whole heads, tell her to wash and dry them and put through the food processor with the slicing disc.
The food safety issue I am currently gearing up to fight is the issue of making about 35 gallons of ice cream for a fund raiser with raw eggs....and not mentioning anywhere that they are made with raw eggs. I think this latest salmonella scare will make my task easier!
Glad it went well!!
Linda C

Isn't it nice when you do all that work and it is really appreciated.

Well done.

Ann