A good taco salad has that classic taco taste, plenty of meat, and the occasional satisfying crunch. This taco salad with Doritos has it all!
I am not really inclined to make gimmicky recipes. You know the ones I am talking about, they saturate your Facebook feed with novelty recipes that have some sort of unique hook to grab your attention: Cheeseburger lasagna, taco stuffed crescent rolls, Philly Cheesesteak martinis, and so on… OK, maybe I fabricated the last one.
Now I’ll admit, I have fallen victim to one or two of these recipes in the past and they always seem to fail to measure up to the revolutionary expectations I conjured from the image. Yes, I am looking at you flavorless cheeseburger soup! So when my former boss shared her recipe for taco salad with Doritos I was instantly suspicious.
However, it turns out I was wrong, and I’m not wrong often. Though, I do try to be wrong once every few years just to stay fresh. Believe it or not, I actually come from a long line of self-bestowed geniuses.
This Taco Salad with Doritos is absolutely fantastic! Actually, it was the best taco salad I have ever had. It turns out not only is the addition of Doritos not a gimmick, they totally make the dish! Biting down on a forkful of salad along with the satisfying crunch of a Doritos chip really gives you that “taco” taste and texture. To me, a good taco salad has that classic taco taste, plenty of meat, and the occasional satisfying crunch. This recipe has it all!
How to Make Doritos Taco Salad
Nacho Cheese Doritos are the ideal flavor to pair with this taco salad. However, feel free to substitute your favorite flavor. Cool Ranch Doritos would be another great option. I also think Western Dressing works best, but I have enjoyed it with both French and Ranch dressing as well.
If you wish to customize this recipe, sour cream, green onions or peppers would all be fantastic additions as well! You could even make your own taco seasoning, rather than purchasing packets, by using my taco seasoning recipe! Regardless of how you customize it, you can have this meal thrown together in 15 minutes. To save even more time, I prep all of the vegetables as the beef is browning in the pan.
How to Store Doritos Taco Salad
This Taco Salad with Doritos is great to make in advance, actually, it is best to make in advance because it tastes fantastic cold! Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and add the dressing and crushed Doritos when you are ready to eat. The Doritos will get soft and mushy if you keep them in the fridge with the salad.
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 packages Taco Seasoning (or equivalent for 2lbs meat)
- 1 head of Iceburg Lettuce (chopped)
- 8 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1, 6.5 oz can Sliced Black Olives
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 2 large Tomatoes (chopped)
- Western Dressing
- Nacho Cheese Doritos
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Brown ground beef in a skillet and add the taco seasoning. Set aside and let cool.
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Chop all vegetables and place in a large bowl with cheese.
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Once taco meat is no longer hot, add to the bowl and toss to combine.
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Add dressing to taste and top generously with Doritos.
If serving individually in bowls I would let each individual add their own add their own dressing and Doritos. Otherwise if serving for a party I would toss everything with the dressing and add Doritos on top prior to serving.
Bagged lettuce can be substituted if desired.
IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE you will love my classic Taco Dip recipe too!
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com May 26, 2015.
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Karly says
This is my kind of taco salad. Looks SO good- all the fixins that make a taco salad what it is!
Sharon says
This was even better than I hoped for!
Tonya says
I make one similar to this. I use salsa and thousand island dressing. I mix the chopped up lettuce with the meat add shredded cheese black olives a jar of salsa thousand island dressing and of course the Doritos and mix it all together right before serving it. You better fill your plate up because when going back for seconds it’s always all gone.