Dorito Taco Salad

Liven up a drab old Taco Tuesday with this tantalizing Dorito taco salad. It’s one of the tastiest taco recipes in my arsenal and it is loaded with goodies!

This is a salad that eats like a meal. Hearty meat and beans combined with fresh crispy veggies, two types of cheese, and of course, the star of the show, Doritos! Your family will love this recipe!

If you love eating Doritos for dinner and want to bring everyone happily to the dinner table try my Dorito casserole, and chicken Dorito casserole.

Let’s make this salad!

What I Love About This Recipe

• Nacho Doritos, I mean they are sooo yummy in this salad.
• The taco meat mixture is loaded with flavor~it’s zesty, savory, and a little sweet from the beans!
• It’s easy to double or triple which makes it perfect for bringing to a potluck
• My hubby loves this salad!

How To Make Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

1. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the beef and onion until it’s cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Stir in taco seasoning
3. Add chili beans with their liquid
4. Add Catalina dressing. Simmer.
5. Mix together the cooled meat and bean mixture and all the salad ingredients. Toss well. Drizzle with Ranch dressing and top with crushed Doritos.

**See Full Instructions Below

Dorito Taco Salad Ingredients

• Meat: Use ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
• Taco Seasoning: I like to use mild to keep things kid friendly.
• Onion: Use either yellow or white onion in this recipe.
• Chili Beans: This can come with the beans in a delicious chili sauce. Add it all to the meat mixture. It brings not only great nutrition to the dish but also tons of flavor.
• Catalina Dressing: This is a surprise ingredient that brings some subtle sweet tanginess to the meat mixture.
• Lettuce: Use whatever looks freshest at the supermarket. You can also combine different varieties for more texture and color.
• Red Onion: This adds the right amount of mellow onion flavor.
• Tomatoes: I generally use grape or cherry tomatoes but if you happen to have regular tomatoes on hand, just seed them and chop them up.
• Cheddar Cheese: Use any type of cheddar you like. I like extra sharp best.
• Jack Cheese: If you like a little spice, use Pepper Jack cheese instead.
• Doritos: I like nacho Doritos but any flavor tortilla chip will work.
• Ranch Dressing: Use just enough to dress the salad to your taste.

Optional Add-Ins (not on the recipe card):

• Fresh Red Bell Peppers: When I gather the ingredients to make this Dorito layered taco salad if the red bell peppers look good at the market, then it will likely make an appearance in the salad bowl. I like to cut them into julienne strips (like a matchstick) and toss them in with the lettuce.
• Corn: Corn is an absolutely delicious addition to this salad. You can use fresh corn, canned corn (drained and rinsed) or frozen corn, cooked and drained. When I add corn to this salad, I generally add about 1 cup. I add to the salad with my lettuce and other fresh vegetables.
• Green Chiles – I’m a huge fan of chiles! In this Dorito chips taco salad, I sometimes add a 1-4 ounce can of Ortega Diced Chilies (with the liquid), to the meat, then I stir in the beans.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? The meat and bean mixture will stay fresh and crave-worthy in the fridge for 3-4 days when stored properly in an airtight container. Once you layer everything up, you should serve immediately.
• Freezing: You can make the meat and bean mixture ahead of time and freeze it. Obviously, the fresh veggies won’t freeze.
• Make-Ahead Tips: You can cook the meat mixture early in the day. I like to let my meat mixture come to room temperature before serving. You can also chop the lettuce and wrap it in damp paper towels to keep it crisp. If you chop the red onions, you’ll want to store them separately in a resealable bag.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety for the meat mixture check out this link.

Serving Recommendations

Dorito taco salad with ranch dressing is a complete meal all by itself, but I love to serve it with my jalapeno cornbread, Southern cornbread, or if you like a sweeter version, my Bisquick cornbread. For dessert, I think it goes particularly well with my pineapple dump cake, nonalcoholic margarita cake,

If you’re making this for the company and want to serve it with a delicious cocktail, try my pink margaritas or frosty pineapple margaritas to top things off!

More Delicious Recipes For Taco Tuesday

• The Best Homemade Taco Meat
• Carne Picada
• Turkey Tacos
• Walking Tacos
• Taco Soup
• Taco Chili
• Spaghetti Tacos
• Taco Pasta
• Steak Tacos
• Taco Pie

More Salad Recipes

• Pizza Salad
• 7 Layer Salad

Tried This Recipe?

Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Dorito Taco Salad

Dorito taco salad is an addictingly delicious hearty meal that comes together with minimal effort to satisfy Tex-Mex cravings and endless appetites.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 people

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Meat Mixture:

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken 80/20
• ▢ 1 package taco seasoning
• ▢ 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 (16-ounce) can chili beans
• ▢ 1 cup Catalina dressing

Salad Mixture:

• ▢ 2 heads lettuce, romaine or iceberg, cut into chunks
• ▢ 1 cup red onion, thinly dliced
• ▢ 3 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cheddar, shredded
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups jack cheese

Topping:

• ▢ 2 (14.5-ounce) bags nacho cheese doritos, lightly crushed
• ▢ ranch dressing, enough to lightly dress the salad

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the beef (1 pound) and onion (1 cup) until it's cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat. 
• Stir in taco seasoning (1 package), chili beans (1 can) with their liquid, and the Catalina Dressing (1 cup). Simmer on low for 10 minutes. I cool mine to room temperature before adding it to the salad.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cooled meat and bean mixture and all the salad ingredients. Toss well.
• Pour salad out onto a serving platter and lightly drizzle with Ranch Dressing and top generously with lightly crushed Doritos (2 bags).

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Bisquick Impossible Taco Pie
• 
  Bisquick Taco Bake
• 
  Taco Lasagna
• 
  Taco Rice

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1054kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 2009mg | Potassium: 1200mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 14884IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 527mg | Iron: 15mg

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