Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad
Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad Recipe – The whole family will love this All-American version of a classic taco salad! It has layers and layers of crunchy Doritos, ground beef, your favorite taco toppings and a zesty Catalina-style dressing.
Why We Love This Dorito Taco Salad Recipe
Taco salad is a beloved go-to dinner at my house. No one ever looks disappointed when I carry a big heaping taco salad to the table… Especially if it has crumbled Doritos in it. Introducing the Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad recipe!
The fusion of Tex-Mex flavors, crunchy veggies, and All-American snack ingredients is an absolute crowd-pleaser for family dinners and casual parties. This taco salad with Doritos and Catalina dressing offers tons of fresh produce and a little extra naughtiness from the *junk* food-alicious chips! Plus, it is so colorful and pretty, perfect for brightening days and faces.
The crushed Doritos give the taco salad intense flavor and crunch, while a smooth and creamy ranch dip provides a zesty cool balance to the hot taco meat. Each bite is party of bold flavors and irresistible crunchiness… Every salad should be this fun and tasty!
How to Make Taco Salad Dressing
I like to start by making a quick Homemade Catalina Dressing. It’s much bolder and slightly less sweet than the store-bought varieties.
This is what you’ll need:
- Red wine vinegar – This brings a more rich taste to the recipe than just regular white wine vinegar.
- Ketchup – The perfect blend of vinegar and sugar. Plus tomatoes!
- Honey or agave – You can either use honey or agave! Of course, this adds a sweet flavor to the dressing.
- Worcestershire sauce – Another savory-sweet condiment to add.
- Smoked paprika – This adds a smoky flavor to the dressing. Try turning up the heat by using hot smoked paprika.
- Onion powder – Get a concentrated onion flavor, without chopping, by using onion powder.
- Grapeseed oil – If you don’t have (or can’t find) grapeseed oil just replace it with any other flavorless oil.
The recipe is super simple: Basically, add all of the ingredients together in a blender except the oil. While the blender is still running, slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. That’s it!
Taco Salad Ingredients
Once you’ve got the tangy dressing all blended up, it’s time to move on to the salad part of the show! Here’s what you need:
- Ground beef – Your choice of lean or fatty.
- Romaine lettuce – Rinsed and chopped.
- Kidney beans – Drained and rinsed.
- Crumbled nacho cheese Doritos – This is what makes this recipe special and oh so tasty!
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes – Cut in half, these tomatoes offer a bite of fresh, sweet, and acidic flavor.
- Chopped green onions – Onions give this salad a little oomph of spice.
- Black olives – An essential taco topping! But if you don’t like olives, feel free to swap them for something else.
- Avocado slices – Creamy, fresh avocados slices give this salad depth with a contrasting silky texture.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – You can’t go wrong with cheese, right?
- Sour cream and ranch dip mix – Including a creamy ranch dip enhances this Dorito taco salad like crazy, so don’t skip out on this ingredient!
How to Make a Dorito Taco Salad
- Brown the ground beef and mix it with taco seasoning. You can use any taco seasoning you like or make it homemade!
- Then mix sour cream with ranch dip mix to have a zesty creamy topping for the Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad recipe. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Chop the lettuce and place it in a large bowl then toss it with the Catalina dressing, and you can always add more if you like. Then pile on the taco meat and beans.
Get the Complete (Printable!) Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad Recipe Below. Enjoy!
- Next load on the Doritos, tomatoes, green onions, avocado slices, olives, and cheese.
Add dollop some of the ranch and sour cream mixture on top, and serve!
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Protein – Feel free to use your choice of ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey in this taco recipe.
- Beans – Use your choice of kidney beans (like we include here), black beans, or pinto beans.
- Lighter chips – If you’re super worried about the heaviness of this salad, you can take the fat and calories down a few notches by using Baked Doritos, lean ground beef or ground turkey, low-fat sour cream, and low-fat cheese.
- Other chips – Use cool ranch Doritos, spicy Doritos, or any other brand and type of tortilla chips you like.
- Gluten-free – Use GF-friendly chips. Be sure to check all labels to make sure the product is indeed free of gluten.
- Dairy-free – Swap sour cream and shredded cheese with your favorite plant-based alternatives. Or simply omit them from the dish, if you prefer!
- Spicy – If you are looking for a more spicy taco salad, try adding sliced pickled jalapenos and Tabasco sauce, like one of our readers tried and loved!
- Dressing – We love the tanginess of Catalina dressing! But you can certainly use other dressings you want! Try homemade or store bought ranch, cilantro lime ranch, Texas Pete vinaigrette, or lime vinaigrette.
- Toppings – Seriously, there is no limit to what tasty add-ons you can include in this recipe! Top the salad any way you want with chopped bell pepper, fresh cilantro, corn,
Serving Suggestions
Loaded with veggies, protein, crunchy carbs, this Dorito taco salad recipe is an entire meal in a bowl!
If you’re wondering what to serve with taco salad for an even heartier dinner, consider serving the salad with fluffy Spanish rice or yellow rice, refried beans, black beans, or Mexican potatoes.
And don’t forget a side of guacamole and salsa for extra chips!
Frequently Asked Questions
The components of the salad are great to make ahead! Cook the taco meat (and cool completely), make the dressing, and prep the salad veggies and toppings a day in advance. Store everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge and assemble when you are ready to eat.
It’s best to enjoy the salad soon after it has been put together. But the different components as mentioned above will well keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, store in individual containers.
Looking for More Marvelous Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe
- Guatemalan Fiambre Salad Recipe
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe (Esquites)
- French Red Potato Salad Recipe
- Thai Red Curry Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- The Ultimate Wedge Salad Recipe
- Harvest Salad (Cobb Style) Recipe
- Cool Chicken Taco Pasta Salad
- Simple Macaroni Salad from Lauren’s Latest
Get the Complete (Printable!) Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Ultimate Dorito Taco Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 packet ranch dip mix
- 1 large head romaine lettuce
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 15 ounces kidney beans, drained (1 can)
- 3.8 ounces sliced black olives, drained (1 can)
- 2 cups nacho cheese Doritos, crushed (corn chips)
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup Catalina dressing
Instructions
- Place the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meat and break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water. Simmer until the water is absorbed, then remove from heat.
- Mix the sour cream with the ranch dip mix. Chill until ready to serve.
- Chop the lettuce and pile in a large serving bowl. Toss with the Catalina Dressing and add a little more if you so desire. Then pile the taco meat and beans over the top.
- Next pile on the crushed Doritos, tomatoes, green onions, avocado slices, olives, and cheese. Finally, top the salad with a heaping portion of ranchy sour cream and serve!
awesome yummy