This easy Frito taco salad recipe packs your favorite taco flavors in one delicious salad with crunchy corn chips and tangy Catalina dressing. Serve this as a sure crowd-pleaser at your next potluck, or as a great weeknight meal when you want to add a fun twist to Taco Tuesday!
What is it?
Frito taco salad is similar to walking tacos but with the addition of Catalina dressing, and everything is served in a bowl rather than a Fritos bag. This tasty salad has all of the classic taco toppings, which are tossed together with crunchy Fritos corn chips and a tangy dressing.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground beef - You can substitute other meat like ground turkey or ground venison.
- Taco seasoning
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced black olives
- White onion - A yellow onion is great too, but a white onion has the best raw crunch. Red onions can be used for a stronger flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes - You can substitute 2 large tomatoes (chopped).
- Fritos corn chips - Doritos can be substituted to make a Dorito Taco Salad instead. Use leftover Frito chips to make a Texas Frito Pie.
- Catalina Dressing - French dressing is a great substitute.
- Sour cream - Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted.
- Optional - Chopped green onions are a great addition.
How to make it
Make this Frito taco salad recipe by first browning your ground beef in a large skillet set over medium high heat. You will always get the best flavor if you brown the beef properly.
Crumble the ground meat as it cooks, and when it is nicely browned stir in your taco seasoning mix along with ⅓ cup water to help the seasoning disperse. Cook out the water by simmering the taco meat for a couple of minutes, then remove the meat from the skillet and let it cool slightly.
In a large salad bowl, combine your fresh lettuce, cheese, olives, onion, tomatoes, corn chips, taco meat, and salad dressing. Place the Frito salad in a serving bowl topped with sour cream and enjoy.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Frito taco salad won't store well in the refrigerator because the Fritos will quickly soak in the moisture from the vegetables and dressing, quickly becoming soggy. If you do have leftovers, it is best to remove any Fritos prior to refrigerating in an airtight container, and then add fresh corn chips later.
Frito Taco Salad
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- 6 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4.5 ounces canned sliced black olives drained
- ½ white onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cups Fritos
- ½ cup Catalina Dressing
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet set over medium-high heat and break it apart as it cooks. Continue cooking until it is nicely browned.
- Stir the taco seasoning into the browned meat along with ⅓ cup water. Simmer the meat mixture for a couple of minutes to let the water cook out, then remove the taco meat from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, cheese, sliced olives, chopped onion, cherry tomatoes, Fritos, and taco meat. Pour in the Catalina dressing then toss everything together.
- Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream.
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