Easy Dorito Taco Salad
This Dorito Taco Salad is always a crowd pleaser. Crisp lettuce is loaded with your favorite taco toppings, crunchy Doritos, and drizzled with tangy Catalina dressing. My family LOVES this easy dinner!
For more Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Cowboy Soup, and Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet.
We are big fans of taco night at my house, and this Dorito Taco Salad is easily a favorite with my kids.
I was first introduced to this delicious taco salad when my friend Carrie over at Kenarry shared her recipe here over TEN YEARS ago! Yes y’all, we’ve been around for awhile, ha!
I’ve made different variations of this recipe over the years, and this original version is perfect for a crowd or large get together. It makes a lot and is prepared in a big bowl making it easy to take as a side dish to a potluck or tailgate.
When I make it at home for dinner, sometimes I make it the same way but leave off the dressing. That way my kids can either add ranch or just a drizzle of taco sauce since they aren’t big fans of the French or Catalina style dressing.
What I do most often though is allow everyone to assemble their own Dorito taco salad with the crushed chips as the base, followed by the taco meat, cheese, and toppings. I also sometimes replace the Doritos with Quest protein chips for myself to get in some extra protein.
Honestly, no matter how you choose to prepare this Easy Doritos Taco Salad recipe, you are going to have some big fans! You can thank me later.
Ingredients for Dorito Taco Salad
- Ground Beef – you will need one pound of lean ground beef. You could also use ground turkey instead.
- Fresh Veggies – I like to use romaine lettuce, but feel free to use a head of iceberg lettuce instead. You will also need a yellow or red onion, chopped red bell pepper, and some freshly chopped tomatoes.
- Cheese -feel free to use any kind of shredded cheese you like. I used cheddar cheese but you could also use Colby jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend.
- Beans – I use black beans in my taco salad, but you can also use pinto beans or red kidney beans. Just be sure to rinse and drain them well first.
- Dressing – this Dorito taco salad tastes delicious with French dressing or Catalina style, but I will tell you that my kids love it with ranch dressing!
- Taco seasoning – you will need one packet of taco seasoning. If you buy yours in a large container (like I do from Costco) or are using homemade taco seasoning, you’ll use 1/4 cup.
- Doritos – we love this with nacho cheese Doritos but you could also use Cool Ranch Doritos. You’ll want to crush the chips into small pieces before adding them to the salad.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make this Easy Dorito Taco Salad Recipe – Step by Step
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with chopped onion over medium heat. Drain the grease.
Add taco seasoning and water per instructions on the packet. Bring the meat mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside and allow the taco meat to thoroughly cool.
Add the romaine lettuce to a large bowl. Add chopped red pepper, black beans, crushed nacho cheese Doritos chips, shredded cheese, tomatoes and cooked taco meat.
Pour French dressing or Catalina dressing over the taco salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Tips and Notes
- This makes a lot! We love it as a main dish, but it also works well as a side dish for potlucks or family gatherings.
- Add your favorite toppings: feel free to get creative with your toppings! Add some black olives, green onions, chopped cilantro, or avocado to make your Dorito taco salad suit your tastes.
- Make it spicier by using a hot taco seasoning packet with your ground beef or shredded pepper jack cheese.
- If you prefer a creamier salad, try thousand island dressing instead of Catalina or french dressing.
- Leftovers from this Dorito Taco Salad are good for a day or two as long as you use cherry tomatoes and you keep them whole. You will also want to keep the dressing separate. Just add a handful or two of crushed nacho chips to freshen it up. If you use chopped tomatoes or slice the cherry tomatoes in half, the salad will become soggy by the next day, so keep that in mind.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Easy Dorito Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup Catalina or french dressing
- 10 ounce package crushed Doritos Nacho chips
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with chopped onion over medium heat. Drain the grease.
- Add taco seasoning and water per instructions on the packet. Bring the meat mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside and allow the taco meat to thoroughly cool.
- Add the romaine lettuce to a large bowl. Add chopped red pepper, black beans, crushed nacho Doritos chips, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and cooked taco meat.
- Pour Catalina dressing over the taco salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This makes a lot! We love it as a main dish, but it also works well as a side dish for potlucks or family gatherings.
- Add your favorite toppings: feel free to get creative with your toppings! Add some black olives, green onions, chopped cilantro, or avocado to make your Dorito taco salad suit your tastes.
- Make it spicier by using a hot taco seasoning packet with your ground beef or shredded pepper jack cheese.
- If you prefer a creamier salad, try thousand island dressing instead of Catalina or french dressing.
- Leftovers from this Dorito Taco Salad are good for a day or two as long as you use cherry tomatoes and you keep them whole. You will also want to keep the dressing separate. Just add a handful or two of crushed nacho chips to freshen it up. If you use chopped tomatoes or slice the cherry tomatoes in half, the salad will become soggy by the next day, so keep that in mind.
I love this salad! I leave out bell peppers just for personal preference, and I love kidney beans in it. Also- I use Italian dressing because I do not care for French or Catalina type dressings. I also like ranch, but I feel like the Italian dressing gives it a nice vinegary zing that the ranch doesn’t offer. Super yummy!
Delicious crowd pleaser, not a smidge leftover !
I absolutely LOVE this salad. It’s so easy and everyone will eat! It’s definitely a crowd pleaser. I really like to use a mixture of crispy iceberg in mine. I crush the Doritos in the bag and mix right before I serve it. Delicious