This Taco Salad is loaded with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, red bell pepper, corn, cheese, and nacho cheese Doritos for the finishing touch. Be sure to add this recipe to your next taco night menu! If you are looking for more amazing salads, make sure to try my buffalo chicken salad and my cheeseburger salad!

Taco Salad in a Wooden Bowl from Overhead.

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Ground Beef: When making taco salad, using meat with higher fat content, such as an 80/20 ratio, is typically preferred as it will better absorb the taco seasoning. However, if you prefer leaner meat, you can still achieve the same effect by adding water to the pan while cooking.
  • Taco Seasoning: If you don’t have any on hand, make your own homemade taco seasoning for the most flavor!
  • Vegetables: There are many options for vegetables in this salad. I added lettuce, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, red bell pepper, corn, and onions to the mix. I will give you more ideas to try below.
  • Chips: Nacho Doritos are the perfect crunch to add to the salad. Not only do they add texture, but they also add more flavor to each bite. Reserve some chips for topping. You could also substitute tortilla chips or leave out the chips if preferred.
  • Toppings: Be sure to provide salsa, sour cream, and French or Catalina dressing for toppings. Each adds its own additional flavor to the salad.
Taco Salad Ingredients Before Being Assembled for Taco Salad.

Variations for Taco Salad

Taco toppings options are endless. While I put the basics on my taco salad, there are plenty of ideas for how you can spice things up. Here are a few options you can try:

  • Black Olives
  • Black Beans
  • Pickled Jalapenos
  • Refried Beans
  • Green Pepper
  • Scallions
  • Cilantro
  • Green Chilis
  • Taco Sauce
Dorito Taco Salad Ingredients in a Bowl Before Mixing Together.

How to Store Taco Salad

Although Taco Salad is best assembled right before serving, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last 2-3 days. If you want to get a head start on the salad, get the vegetables cut up to a day in advance. You can also get the taco meat made and stored in the refrigerator. In addition, if you are storing the assembled salad, keep the chips separate if possible, and add them when serving the salad.

Dorito Taco Salad in a Bowl Kind Of Close Up with Serving Spoons.
Taco Salad
5 from 6 votes

Taco Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
This Taco Salad is loaded with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, red bell pepper, corn, cheese, and nacho cheese Doritos for the finishing touch.

Ingredients

Taco Meat

Taco Salad

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce, diced
  • 2 medium jalapeño peppers, diced
  • 2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can (15.25 ounces) corn kernels, drained
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 bag (9.75 ounces) Nacho Doritos, slightly crushed, reserving a few for topping

Optional Toppings

  • salsa
  • sour cream
  • French or Catalina dressing

Instructions

Taco Meat

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink (8-10 minutes).
  • Add taco seasoning, stirring to combine. Set the meat aside.

Taco Salad

  • In a large bowl combine lettuce, jalapeño pepper, tomatoes, red pepper, corn, onion, cheese, taco meat, and Doritos. Toss to combine.
  • Serve fresh with salsa, sour cream, and French or Catalina dressing as optional toppings.

Notes

This recipe can be easily cut in half should you want a smaller serving. 

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.

Share with your friends!

Categorized in:

Related Recipes

Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. amanda,
    I see you have the calories listed for the serving but it does not show a serving size or how many it serves so that I can get an idea of what a portion would be

  2. I am an old Lady…I have been cooking for over 60 years, and have owned 2 restaurants. I want to tell you I really like your recipes. You are my very favorite site to visit for a new recipe!

  3. This looks yummy, we love taco salad. One comment mentioned using French dressing, we used ranch style beans with Catalina dressing, pretty fab.

  4. We love this! I mix sour cream and Pace Picante for the dressing and it takes it up a notch! I also leave the Doritos out until the salad is served then crush them over to keep them crisp! Delish!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.