Taco Salad Recipe with Doritos

This fun and delicious Taco Salad Recipe with Doritos is perfect for dinner or lunch. I love an entree salad and this one really hits the spot! It is very filling, in all the good ways, with spice and crunch, I could eat this daily and be happy.

While there are many ways to curate a Taco Salad, this is my favorite way to build it. I prepare all of my ingredients then lay them all out and let everyone personalize their plate. It makes it fun and interactive, and everyone gets what they want or don't want on their plate.

Ingredients

A few things here are interchangeable but these are the basics. A protein, some cheese, chips, a few veggies, and some lettuce and you are on your way to a tasty dinner. It is also a great clean-out the fridge meal, toss all the veggies you go in some lettuce, and top with some ground beef or even fajita-style chicken.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Method

First, prep all your ingredients. Cook the ground beef and season like you would for tacos. Chop the lettuce and slice and dice all the veggies. Then mix the base salad in a large bowl by combining some of the veg and the dressing.

Then start building your own personal salad on a big plate. Start with a base of chips, top with the salad mixture, then the cheese and ground beef. From there you can add jalapenos if you like, a squeeze of lime, or if you're like me an extra dressing drizzle of ranch. I love the coolness the ranch brings and it melds everything together for me.

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📖 Recipe

Yield: 8-10 servings

Taco Salad Recipe with Doritos

This delicious Taco Salad Recipe with Doritos is perfect for dinner or lunch. I love an entree salad and this one really hits the spot!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• 1 med Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 pounds lean Ground Beef
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Tajin Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Roasted Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• 1, 8-ounce can Tomato Sauce
• 3-4 cups Romaine Lettuce, chopped (from 2-3 heads)
• 1, 15-ounce can Black Beans, rinsed
• ½ cups Grape Tomato, halved
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• ½ cup Red Onion, diced
• 1 ½ cups Nacho Cheese Doritos
• Catalina OR Ranch Dressing, for serving
• Lime Wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, warmed over medium heat, add the olive oil and onion to the pan, and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef to the pan and continue cooking until the beef has completely browned and begins to crisp. Drain off any excess oil that is accumulating in the bottom of the pan.
3. Season the beef mixture with the chili powder, tajin, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to bloom the seasonings into the meat, then stir in the tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer until the sauce thickens and is no longer “wet”.
4. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
   While the meat cools, chop the lettuce and place it in a large bowl.
5. Top the lettuce with the beans, tomatoes, cheese, and onions. Toss everything together in the bowl.
6. To serve, line a plate with Doritos, top with the salad mixture, dressing of choice, the “taco meat”, and garnish with lime wedges.
7. Serve immediately.
8. The undressed mixed salad will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Notes

Notes & Tips

Get everything together before dinner time. Cook the beef ahead of time and keep it warm. Prep all the veggies and drain the beans early in the day. You can even prepare everything the day or night before if you are making this for a party. Then just warm the meat up a little before serving.

To make things easy I typically use a can of beans when making this salad. While I try to make my own most of the time, this is where I take a shortcut.

Substitutions

I LOVE a nice sharp cheddar cheese. But you could replace it here with something more traditionally Mexican, like queso fresco, or cotija.

I almost always make this with the ground beef taco mixture, but chicken or fajita beef would also be welcome additions.

I am quite a traditionalist, I like to use the nacho cheese Doritos, but ranch, or even jalapeno or lime corn chips would also be a great match-up.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Meat Chopper, 5 Curve Blades Ground Beef Masher, Heat Resistant Meat Masher Tool for Hamburger Meat, Ground Beef, Turkey and More, Nylon Hamburger Chopper Utensil Non-scratch Utensils
• 
  OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Stainless-Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• 
  Staub Cast Iron 4-qt Round Cocotte - Basil, Made in France

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 523Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 924mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 35g

This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.

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