Taco Salad Recipe: 2 Ways

This delicious Taco Salad can be made easily at home and tastes very similar to Taco Bell Taco Salad. This recipe can be made to feed as little as 2 or a small crowd. Use plain tortilla chips, or kick it up a notch with DORITOS® brand chips.

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When dinner time strikes, sometimes I don’t have a plan. More likely than not, I just don’t feel like the same old chicken or beef dishes. I mean really, baked chicken and meatballs can only be served so many time before I get the looks.

My family loves Taco Salad, and so do us adults. I love that this salad is pretty versatile in that you can use plain tortilla chips and ranch, or french dressing a DORITOS® brand nacho chips. Either way, this salad is a keeper for weeknight meals.

The Easy Taco Salad recipe can be made quick and is fairly simple! It’s the perfect  “meal before the storm” type dish too. We here in New England are suppose to be getting one whopper of a storm tonight into Wednesday–how fun!

I figured I’d make dinner early an anticipate some leftovers for lunch on tomorrow. Hopefully this taco salad lasts because boy did it smell good when I was photographing it!

Ingredients:

• Lean Ground Beef- 1 1/2 lbs
• Taco Bell Taco Seasoning- 1 packet
• Kraft Cheddar Shreds- 1 bag
• Kraft Ranch Dressing- 1 bottle *Can also use French dressing
• Tomatoes- 3 diced
• Salad Mix or Iceberg Lettuce- 1 head shredded
• Corn Tortilla Chips- 3 cups *You can also use DORITOS®

Directions:

Of course, I catered this recipe to meet my family of fives needs. If you need to make more you can easily increase the ingredients, or decrease them.

To start, brown your hamburger meat in a large skillet.

Drain excess grease (fat) once it is fully cooked. Return meat to skillet.

Over medium heat, add 1/3 cup of water, and the Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Mix; stir thoroughly.

Shred lettuce, and diced tomatoes if necessary.

Prepare a large serving dish to place the taco salad in.

I alternated lettuce, meat, cheese, tomato and chips.

The beauty of this meal is that it can be made ahead of time sans the chips. I recommend adding the chips in right before you eat to keep them nice and crispy.

Also, drizzle the ranch on each serving to meet everyone’s taste. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe! Hope you enjoyed our version of this Taco Bell Taco Salad.

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4.50 from 4 votes

Taco Salad Recipe: 2 Ways

This taco salad is similar to the Taco Bell Taco Salad recipe. It is easy to make and the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time to make it a quick taco dinner! Mix this salad up with different chips and dressings.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 5 people

Calories 919cal

Author Amy Desrosiers

Cost $7

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 pouch Taco Bell Taco Seasoning *see notes for homemade blend
• 1/3 cup water
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar
• 8 ounces ranch dressing or French dressing
• 1 cup tomatoes diced, or halved if using cherry tomatoes
• 5 cups shredded lettuce Can you Iceberg salad blend for more nutrients
• 3 cups corn tortilla chips DORITOS® or corn tortillas

Instructions

• To start, brown your hamburger meat in a large skillet. Cook until fully browned.
• Drain excess grease before adding water and spices. Return meat to the skillet.
• Over medium heat, add 1/3 cup of water, and the Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Mix; stir thoroughly.
• Shred lettuce, and dice tomatoes.
• Add in shredded cheese.
• Prepare a large serving dish to place the taco salad in.
• Add in DORITOS® or corn chips. You do not have to crunch them up, but I suggest adding them only RIGHT before serving.
• Swizzle with ranch before serving. * You can also use French dressing.

Notes

Make ahead

The beauty of this meal is that it can be made ahead of time sans the chips. Prep the meat ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to eat. 

You can also prepare the veggies ahead of time. 

I recommend adding the chips in right before you eat to keep them nice and crispy.

Also, drizzle the ranch on each serving to meet everyone’s taste.

Swap ranch for French dressing or DORITOS® for corn tortillas. You could also use Fritos® brand chips. 

Homemade Taco seasoning 

• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/4 tsp salt 

*Nutritional facts may vary and are meant to be a guide. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 919cal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 905mg | Potassium: 716mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 646IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 5mg