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Our Easy Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

Our Easy Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

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I had never heard of a tossed taco salad before and had this at a potluck. I fell in love with not only its simplicity but all of the possibilities that came along with it. It seemed so easy to make and was really a complete meal on a plate. It would be perfect for hot or cold days, a great way to stretch the budget, and feed up to six people for under ten bucks! How can you beat that for a fun, frugal, and thrifty easy meal?

Our Easy Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

Leftover Ground Beef

Do you have a few hamburgers staring back at you in the fridge, or even leftover taco meat from that burrito or taco night that you over-prepared for? I love to create new meals out of what might be leftover from the last one. I would crumble up those hamburgers and get this recipe put into action!

Recently, I have found that when I buy ground beef at the store, it makes sense to get at least the 3-pound package for the best price. I like to cook it all off at the same time, with a little bit of minced onion. I figure 3 pounds of that “hamburger gravel” will get me at least 4 meals, 5 if I stretch it with some beans. We tend to lean towards black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans.

This recipe will let you do just that, as there are so many other great ingredients that you can easily cut back on the meat a little bit.

Walking Tacos

If you or your kids like a good walking taco, this is very similar. We are simply making the salad first and then popping the chips on top instead of putting the salad on top of the chips.

meal plan month one

Recipe FAQ’s

We’re always happy to answer your questions about our recipes, but here are the most common ones.

Is a taco salad healthier than a taco?

A taco salad may appear to be the healthier option for you if you compare it to a regular taco, but there are other things to consider, namely the topping and sauces. Are you adding guacamole? Sour Cream? What kind of meat or cheese are you adding? Does the taco salad have a deep-fried shell or baked?

You can always tweak something to make it healthier. Ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef. Fat-free cheese or sour cream instead of the regular versions. I find that if I just read over the recipe first, I can easily see what tweaks I would do for my family.

What to serve with Dorito Taco Salad?

What is nice about this recipe is the fact that anything you would serve with tacos is actually inside the salad! Tortillas are covered when you add the Doritos. Beans are in the salad, shredded lettuce with diced tomatoes are usually in the tacos. The only thing left would be some great Mexican rice, but that isn’t really needed as the tossed taco salad pretty much covers every food group.

It is like a one-pot meal.

What Kind of Dressing Do You Use for Tossed Taco Salad?

Some people swear by Catalina dressing, French dressing, or even Ranch Dressing. We tend to love Thousand Island Dressing for this particular recipe and mix in a bit of taco seasoning to give it a kick.

How do you store leftover Dorito Taco Salad?

Normally, I tell everyone to put leftovers into an air-tight container and keep them in their fridge for up to 4 days. The longer you store it, the more the lettuce will wilt and the Doritos will get soggier. If you don’t add the dressing, it will certainly keep better.

Can You Make Dorito Taco Salad in Advance?

Yes. May I suggest you layer things a little differently though?

Put the tomatoes and beans on the bottom of your large bowl, top it with the meat, then diced onions and lettuce. Add the cheese on the top and cover until you are ready to serve it. Add the dressing and Doritos when ready to serve.

You should be able to make this up to 48 hours in advance with this concept – much longer than that and you will see your lettuce starting to rust.

Why do you use Doritos?

I like the flavor and the crunch over normal taco chips. You also have several varieties to choose from: Nacho Cheese Doritos, Cool Ranch Doritos, even Spicy Doritos! Whatever kind of Dorito chips you use, you will end up with a tasty salad.

Easy Taco Salad

Seriously, this is a really easy recipe that makes a delicious salad that is a total crowd pleaser!

What Goes In Taco Salad

Dorito Taco Salad Ingredients

For the actual Taco Salad

  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce or 1 bag of salad mix with romaine lettuce
  • 1 lb ground meat – we prefer lean ground beef
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 can kidney or mixed chili beans, drained
  • 1 onion, chopped – you can use red onions or yellow. I would skip the green onions
  • 1-2 Roma tomatoes, chopped. Cherry tomatoes won’t work.
  • 1 bag tortilla or Dorito chips
  • 1 package taco seasoning, make sure to save 1 tablespoon for the dressing

For the Taco Salad Dressing

  • 8 oz thousand island dressing
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (or a sugar substitute)
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
  • 1 teaspoon taco sauce if you want a little extra zip. Look in that junk drawer with all the fast-food packets!

How to Make Dorito Taco Salad

Brown your ground meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, drain it, and then stir in the packet of taco seasoning and water per packet directions.

Let your beef mixture cool slightly

making salad dressing for dorito taco salad

In a small bowl, mix your dressing ingredients together until they are well combined, and then set it aside.

ready to dress salad

In a large serving bowl layer your bed of lettuce or salad, cooled ground beef, cheese, beans, onion, and tomatoes.

ready to eat taco salad

Drizzle on the dressing, add your crushed Doritos, toss the salad and serve.

Dorito taco salad

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Get the Full (Printable) Dorito Taco Salad Recipe Below

Yield: 6

Our Easy Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

Dorito taco salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 11 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce or 1 bag of salad mix with romaine lettuce
  • 1 lb ground meat – we prefer lean ground beef
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 can kidney or mixed chili beans, drained
  • 1 onion, chopped – you can use red onions or yellow. I would skip the green onions
  • 1-2 Roma tomatoes, chopped. Cherry tomatoes won’t work.
  • 1 bag tortilla or Dorito chips
  • 1 package taco seasoning, make sure to save 1 tablespoon for the dressing
  • 8 oz thousand island dressing
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (or a sugar substitute)
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
  • 1 teaspoon taco sauce if you want a little extra zip. Look in that junk drawer with all the fast-food packets!

Instructions

Brown your ground meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, drain it, and then stir in the packet of taco seasoning and water per packet directions.

Let your beef mixture cool slightly

In a small bowl, mix your dressing ingredients together until they are well combined, and then set it aside.

In a large serving bowl layer your bed of lettuce or salad, cooled ground beef, cheese, beans, onion, and tomatoes.

Drizzle on the dressing, add your crushed Doritos, toss the salad and serve.

Notes

You can tweak this to be as healthy as you want with low-fat meats and cheese, low sodium beans, and even by adding more vegetables like sliced black olives.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 700Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 229mgSodium: 1148mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 5gSugar: 16gProtein: 41g
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