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Top down shot of a bowl of homemade taco salad recipe with ground beef, cheese, chops and lettuce. Two spoons sticking out of the bowl.

Taco Salad Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner/Entree
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Description

An epic Taco Salad Recipe that includes Doritos and a homemade tomato-based dressing! Perfect for a hot summer day!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons mild taco sauce
  • 15oz can tomato saucedivided
  • 1 lb ground beef 80/20
  • 1oz packet of taco seasoning (or 1 batch homemade taco seasoning)
  • 1 head iceberg lettuceripped into bite-sized pieces
  • 23 roma tomatoesdiced
  • 1 cup Dorito Nacho Cheese Chips, broken into pieces*
  • 1/2 cup Dorito Ranch Chips, broken into pieces*
  • 6oz colby jack cheeseshredded (more if desired)

Instructions

  1. Dressing: In a bowl combine the ketchup, mild taco sauce and approx. 1/2 the can of tomato sauce. Stir and then taste. Add additional taco sauce (or toss in some hot sauce if you want), as needed. Set aside. 
  2. Ground Beef: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add ground beef and move around until cooked through. Drain excess grease. Add the remaining 1/2 can of tomato sauce and then taco seasoning. Stir to combine. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin a bit, if needed. Turn off heat but keep pan warm. 
  3. Build Salad: While the ground beef is cooking, add your lettuce to a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes on top of that and then the chips. Place the cheese on top of the chips and spread out evenly to cover. 
  4. Add Beef: Place the warm beef on top of the cheese. Let sit for 2-4 minutes so the beef can melt the cheese. Toss to combine. 
  5. Toss and Serve: Serve immediately with the dressing and enjoy! Feel free to serve with a pitcher of Skinny Margaritas or these Beer Margaritas

Notes

  • Dorito’s: if you don’t want to use the Dorito’s brand and are looking for something a little less processed, I highly recommend the Siete brand! This is just a nostalgic recipe and it brings back so many childhood memories. So I had to write it exactly how my Mom made this! 
  • Extra Protein: Sometimes I add another 1/2-1 lb ground beef and up the taco seasoning and cheese a bit, if I want to feed a few extra people. 
  • Leftovers: this is best eaten right away – as the chips sit they will get a bit soggy. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 6oz
  • Calories: 371
  • Sugar: 4.8 g
  • Sodium: 587.8 mg
  • Fat: 21.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.6 g
  • Protein: 16 g
  • Cholesterol: 50.8 mg