Dorito Taco Salad is a delicious salad we’ve been serving at potlucks for as long as I can remember!
Everyone loves a great taco salad recipe and this version is a definitely a crowd favorite!
Seasoned ground beef, fresh lettuce, pinto beans, veggies and of course Doritos all sauced up with a zingy dressing make this an exciting change to your daily menu!
I truly love salads, but sometimes they can become a bit boring. This Dorito Taco Salad definitely spices up the ‘same old salad’ slump that we tend to get into. Not only is is easy to make, but it is delicious too!
I absolutely love anything that is taco inspired from pasta to casseroles… and especially salads!
Something about that beautiful blend of spices found in taco seasoning (especially my DIY taco seasoning mix) paired with crisp fresh lettuce just tastes SO good! Of all of the taco inspired dishes I make, this one definitely tops the list because everyone always raves about it!
How to Make Taco Salad
If you happen to have leftover taco beef from a prior recipe, it’s perfect in this taco salad recipe. In fact, I often make a double batch of taco meat to store in my freezer for extra quick meals on busy weeknights.
It takes me just seconds to defrost it for quick tacos, taco salads or even for a tray of Loaded Tater Tot Nachos!
The remaining ingredients are simple and easy to keep on hand. Pinto beans and sliced black olives in the canned variety are always staples in my pantry. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, peppers and sour cream are items I always have on hand.
And OF COURSE you can’t forget the Doritos, we love the Nacho Cheese Flavor in this taco salad but you can use your favorite flavor!
How to Make Taco Salad Ahead of Time
This meal can be prepared ahead of time! The secret is to assemble everything in layers and simply toss before serving. Using the layered method keeps ingredients from becoming soggy.
- Your bottom layer will be the cooked and seasoned ground beef topped with the dressing.
- Next layer the pinto beans and sliced olives.
- Follow this with the peppers and tomatoes.
- Next layer is the lettuce and the onion.
- Add the cheese on top.
- Leave out the Doritos until just before serving.
Using the layering method above, you can assemble this Dorito salad and refrigerate for a quick and easy meal at the end of a busy day or to take along to a backyard BBQ party or potluck. Simply toss to coat everything just before serving and wait for the compliments to pour in!
What Goes In a Taco Salad
You can modify this recipe however you’d like or based on what you have on hand! I have used diced chicken breast in place of ground beef (or ground turkey), I also use different types of peppers and I like to kick up the heat a notch using spicy Doritos!
Use the veggies you love (corn is great in this recipe too) and make it your own masterpiece! It is just so easy to prepare and to top it off it tastes fantastic!
6 Taco Inspired Dishes You MUST Try
Love Taco Inspired Dishes? Me too… and here are some of my absolute favorites!
1. Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells Tender pasta shells stuffed with deliciously seasoned beef, salsa and cheese baked until bubbly.
2. Taco Pasta Salad Pasta salad with a taco twist, fresh veggies and our favorite Doritos! Must try!
3. Taco Tater Tot Casserole This casserole features seasoned beef and loads of vegetables topped with a yummy tater tot crust and baked until golden.
4. Taco Casserole with a Surprise Crust Taco night just got a whole lot more delicious… spoiler alert: if you like Doritos, you’ll love this one!
5. French Bread Tacos French Bread Tacos combine all the taco flavors you love with the delicious, crusty bread you can’t get enough of!
6. Layered Dorito Casserole Layered Doritos Casserole has layers of seasoned beef in a rich and zesty sauce topped with loads of cheese.
While assembling the ingredients is super easy to begin with, to make it even easier I love to use my favorite chopping tool! It makes chopping a breeze and you are guaranteed consistent bite sized pieces every time!
I use a whole 10 oz bag of Doritos in this recipe because I love the flavor they add. You can certainly use as much or as little as you’d like! Don’t get stuck making the same old salads this summer. Add Dorito Taco Salad to your menu and delight your family and friends!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning 1 packet, or 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 head iceberg lettuce chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- 15 ounces canned pinto beans rinsed and drained, 1 can
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 10 ounces Doritos Nacho flavored
- 16 ounces Catalina salad dressing
- sour cream for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in the taco seasoning packet and water. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, peppers, black olives, pinto beans, tomatoes, cheddar and green onions.
- Top with the seasoned and cooled ground beef.
- Slightly crush the Doritos and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with catalina dressing and toss to coat evenly.
- Garnish with sour cream and additional green onions is desired.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad
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Well I just made this about 10 minutes ago, I don’t get to have any unfortunately since I’m on a specific diet (required to eat very specific combos at a time, this salad isn’t included) but my fiance is gobbling it up right now! It looks really tasty. I would say though, a full 16 oz bottle of dressing + sour cream + the taco meat seasoning makes a LOT of sauce, it looks like way more than what you used in your video, did you only use about 1/3rd or 1/2 a bottle in that shot? I used an overly-large head of lettuce too, I think next time I may use 1/2 a bottle and 1/2 the sour cream (only added two spoonfuls to the meat after cooking) and see how it turns out.
Thanks for the recipe!
It depends on the size of the lettuce as you’d mentioned, I agree, I only tend to add a bit of sour cream as garnish.
Waste of $22.00! This was edible but definitely nothing to write home about or ever make again. Made for Super Bowl party and only one out of 24 people said it was good.
Not sure if it’s the dressing and maybe better with ranch, but definitely feel there is much better recipes then this for taco salad.
Sorry this didn’t work out for you, I’m so surprised to hear that out of 24 people only one person enjoyed this. We absolutely love this recipe and have been making it for years… I come home with an empty bowl every time!
VJONES I have an idea – if you can get a jar of NACHOS TOPPING where you are.Tthat can make a difference I did this tonight (25th April 2018) and it was awesome. So don’t give up have another go maybe with a smaller “test” group of people to see if you like it.
We really liked this recipe as is and also made a vegan version, they both turned out quite well.
Loved the salad but just as an FYI, the layered method doesn’t mention the cheese. I assembled the layers and almost forgot the cheese. But I did get lots of compliments.
Thank you! I’ll update that right away!
Always use taco Doritos and Ranch dreasing also use taco seasoning but instead of adding water I use taco sauce mixed with the meat and seasoning The taco Doritos give it better flavor.
I have made this several times and my husband and I absolutely love it. We don’t use the beans or the Catalina dressing but lots of salsa and sour cream.
This was a classic recipe in my home for years. Thanks for reminding me of how nutritious and delicious this favorite recipe is! Love it! I am planning on preparing it for our family tomorrow!
I give it five stars!
Best taco salad! My whole family loved it!
Use 1000 island dressing its great
I made this and it was awesome!!!!!!!
Glad to hear you loved it Andrea!
I use to work and taco Johns and they make a house dressing that is real good all it is is 1/2 taco sauce and 1/2 creamy Italian dressing ..mm real good
mad this for dinner, it was absolutely delicious and a big hit with my family, I will make it again, I also made my own Catalina dressing, very simple to do and very good
made this for dinner, it was absolutely delicious, I will make it again, was a big hit with my family
This was delicious it is a keeper in my household thank you
Happy to hear that you enjoyed it Valencia!
It is good with Avacado too. I always used a bottle of French dressing.
I have been making this for years. As for the dressing, I like Dorothy Lynch, but this salad needs sweet tanginess of the Catalina. Lynch is a little too ‘smooth,’ to me. Also I have always used original Fritos for the ‘crunch.’ They are thicker, so don’t get soggy at all.
We have been making this since 1977 and it is the most requested dish we are asked to bring to a Potluck. The only thing with our dish is we use Creamy Italian Dressing and people say they like it so much more than Catalina. We also use Taco Flavored Doritos now that they are making them again and Kraft Taco Flavored Cheese (it has Mexican spices added). We leave out the bell peppers.Yes, do not add the Doritos or Dressing until just before serving.
Hmmm..never had it…never heard of it
Did you ever make this with ground chicken instead of beef.
You could definitely try it with the chicken!
I’ve been making this salad for years and it’s always a hit. In fact, I am taking it to a family reunion this Sunday. I leave out the black olives (not a fan) and I use ground sausage instead of beef and kidney beans instead of pinto beans. I mix medium taco sauce (1 part) with western dressing (2 part) for the dressing. YUM!
These sound like yummy alternatives! I had made it with ground turkey for delicious results too!
Good hearty meal for pennies. yum yum