Easy Dorito Taco Salad recipe with Catalina Dressing and seasoned taco meat is a delicious salad and an easy meal your whole family will love. Perfect for a potluck dinner, family gatherings or a quick weeknight meal!
Kick up your usual taco salad recipe and serve this taco salad with Doritos and Catalina dressing instead! This delicious taco salad has been around for awhile, and it's definitely a keeper!
We love tacos, and I like to change up taco night now and then, especially in the summer. Even my picky eaters love this salad recipe because it has crunchy Doritos and tangy Catalina dressing in it!
Plus, this easy meal comes together quickly, and has plenty of garden fresh veggies for the veggie lovers! By the way, if you love Doritos, you'll want to try my Dorito Casserole!
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this taco salad recipe with Doritos and Catalina dressing. You can find them in your grocery store or online:
- Lean ground beef
- Taco seasoning -- homemade taco seasoning or packet of taco seasoning
- Water
- Iceberg lettuce -- stays nice and crisp
- Romaine lettuce -- optional but pairs well with iceberg
- Doritos chips -- broken up into smaller pieces, not crushed
- Grape tomatoes
- English cucumber
- Red onion
- Black olives
- Shredded Mexican cheese
- Catalina dressing
How to Make Doritos Taco Salad
This easy recipe comes together quickly, but you do have to prep the fresh produce. I recommend having your salad ingredients prepared before you start cooking the ground beef.
Just brown the hamburger meat on medium heat in a large skillet. Then, drain the grease, and stir in your taco seasoning.
Add water, cover and reduce heat to simmer.
When the meat mixture is done, turn off the heat, and allow it to cool down slightly while you start building the salad.
If you add the hot ground beef to the salad right away, it will cause the lettuce to wilt. Nobody likes a wilted, soggy salad!
I usually add lettuce and some of the veggies to a large bowl. Then, I add some crushed Doritos and some of the taco meat.
I find it easier to make a layered taco salad this way. Then, I go back and add another layer of ingredients before mixing.
But, you can add all of the ingredients and then mix everything together if that's easier for you.
You'll want to add some meat to the top of the salad so it looks like a taco salad. Then, sprinkle more shredded cheese, and pour a little Catalina dressing on top.
Follow that with more crushed Dorito chips. And, you're ready to eat!
I like to serve this yummy taco salad with extra taco meat and Catalina dressing on the side.
That way, people can add more meat and dressing if they like. Not everyone is a fan of Catalina, so I usually don't mix a bunch in the salad before serving.
Again, this is just a personal preference.
Variations
There are a few ways to customize this delicious taco salad to your tastes.
Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey or chicken. Or, go meatless if you want a side salad.
For additional protein, add pinto beans or black beans.
Mexican blend cheese is my favorite for this Doritos taco salad, but you can use whatever kind of cheese you want. Cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese are great options.
If Catalina dressing isn't your favorite, try ranch dressing, Russian dressing, French dressing, or just a dollop of sour cream.
Instead of nacho cheese Doritos, use cool ranch Doritos, or your favorite flamin' hot variety.
And of course, add whatever salad topping you like! Guacamole, pico, green peppers, green onions, bell pepper, crushed tortilla chips -- it's really up to you!
How to Store
Store any leftover Doritos salad in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Already assembled salad will last about 1 day in the refrigerator before it gets soggy.
If possible, store salad ingredients separately in the refrigerator.
You can also make this taco salad ahead of time. Just store cooked taco meat and dressing separately from fresh ingredients. When you're ready to eat, reheat meat, and mix salad together before serving.
Recipe
Dorito Taco Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 small iceberg lettuce washed and chopped
- 1 bunch Romaine lettuce (Optional washed and chopped)
- 2 cups Doritos broken up into smaller pieces, not crushed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes rinsed and halved
- 1 English cucumber rinsed and sliced into half moons
- 1 small red onion sliced
- ¼ cup black olive slices
- 1 cup Shredded Mexican cheese
- Catalina dressing to taste
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in large skillet on medium heat until no longer pink, breaking up with spatula as it cooks
- Drain grease, stir in water and taco seasoning, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to cool slightly while you assemble salad
- Add half of lettuce and fresh veggies to a large salad bowl. Add half of taco meat and Doritos and cheese. Add remaining lettuce and veggies, mix together
- Add remaining taco meat, cheese and Doritos. Pour a little Catalina dressing on top. Serve immediately
Notes
Nutrition
Doritos taco salad is a fun twist on a traditional taco salad and one of my absolute favorite salads.
The delicious combination of taco flavor, tangy dressing, and spicy Doritos make this easy taco salad recipe a big hit! If you enjoy this retro salad recipe as much as we do, please leave a star rating and comment!
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Bea says
This salad is incredible! So many amazing flavors!
Erika says
Oh my goodness, this was incredible!! I love the flavors!
Sandra says
My kids love Doritos and this was really a fun recipe for them! Thanks!
Amanda says
My 10 year old is obsessed with this salad! Thank you for the recipe!
Juliane says
We all loved this a lot! Enjoyed this so much with family
Beth says
This is the best version of taco salad I've ever seen. I love that you used Doritos for an even bigger kick of flavor.
Dee says
Thanks, Beth! We just love this salad!
Patrick says
Made this one for dinner last night and what a hit. Easy enough for me to make! And I am not the best cook!