This Taco Salad recipe is the absolute best! Made with seasoned ground beef, chopped lettuce and all your favorite toppings (including nacho-flavored tortilla chips), this salad is ready in under 30 minutes and the kids will love it!
Maybe it’s just my inner 13-year-old child talking, but a taco salad recipe that’s actually topped with nacho-flavored tortilla chips is pretty much my dream come true.
I definitely ate a version of this in middle school at least once a week. Back then it was all about the walking taco – you’d buy one of those 25 cent bags of corn chips or tortilla chips (or in my case Hot Cheetos), stuff them with nacho cheese, ground beef, sour cream, a teeny tiny bit of lettuce and eat it all with a fork. I looked forward to lunch every single day.
But now that I’m older and slightly wiser, I try to make sure my meals are at least 80% good for me and filled healthy ingredients. The other 20%? Well that’s all about cravings, healthy or not, and today I’m craving good ol’ classic Doritos. 🙂
While you probably won’t see a taco salad recipe quite like this in your favorite Mexican restaurant, it is made with all of my favorite Mexican-inspired ingredients.
How to make this taco salad recipe
Step 1: Combine my favorite homemade taco seasoning spices with lean ground beef. These include
Step 2: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet. Add a 1/2 cup of water at the end, bring to a simmer and then remove from heat. This will create a flavorful sauce that acts almost as a dressing in the salad.
Step 3: In a large bowl, mix together chopped lettuce, tomatoes, pinto beans, green onions and cheese.
Step 4: Serve the salad with the seasoned ground beef and sauce and top with nacho-flavored tortilla chips.
Feel free to drizzle in some additional dressing like ranch or catalina if you’d like. I find that adding dressing makes everything a bit too wet and soggy for my liking, but that’s totally personal preference.
If you’re serving this Dorito Taco Salad at a party or potluck, I recommend tossing all the ingredients together right before serving to prevent it from becoming too soggy.
If you’re making this for yourself or your family and you anticipate having leftovers, I recommend adding the ground beef and Doritos to each individual serving so that the lettuce mixture doesn’t get soggy when you store it in the fridge.
Like this fun Mexican-inspired recipe? You may also like these!
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Stuffed French Bread
- Easy Loaded Mexican Nachos
- Mexican Chimichurri Chicken Salad
INGREDIENTS
For the taco meat
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 cup water
For the salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
- 1/2 11-ounce bag nacho-flavored tortilla chips (like Doritos)
INSTRUCTIONS
For the taco meat
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and dried oregano. Mix together with hands until well combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cooking oil. Add the ground beef and break up the meat into smaller chunks using a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is completely browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the water and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
For the salad
- In a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, chopped green onions and shredded cheese. Toss to combine.
- If you're planning to serve this at a party, add the cooked ground beef and nacho-flavored tortilla chips and toss to combine. Serve immediately.If you're planning to serve this for dinner and you think you'll have leftovers, I recommend adding the ground beef and nacho-flavored tortilla chips to each individual serving so that the lettuce mixture doesn't get soggy when you store it in the fridge.
Gary Franks says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. If I was to use your taco seasoning, how much should I use?
Isabel says
Thanks, Gary! I would use 2 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning. I hope you love it!
Jeff says
All your recipes look so yummy. Thank you for the great fruit flavoured Kombucha recipe. It’s awesome
Isabel says
Thank you!
Jack Smith says
I love this salads! Such a great childhood memory for me. This looks delish!
And your site…this is the first time I’m seeing it on my big 27″ iMac and omg it’s so beautiful 🙂
Isabel says
Haha, aw thank you so much! It’s one of my childhood favorites, too!