This taco salad is one of my favorites from my childhood. I remember my mom making it fairly often, especially for pot luck luncheons at our church. I love the tangy flavors of the Catalina dressing combined with the salty, crunchy corn chips. My mom didn’t always add the meat and we liked it just as well, but these days, I generally make mine with ground beef to make a heartier salad.
This recipe grows and grows! It makes a very large salad and can serve around 12 people. You can add other ingredients, like avocados, black beans and corn, as well as substitute the beef for cooked, ground turkey or diced chicken.
Catalina Taco Salad
Author: Jennifer Locklin
Recipe type: Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups torn romaine lettuce or lettuce blend
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ packet taco seasoning mix
- 16 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 bag Fritos corn chips
Instructions
- Brown beef; drain well. Stir in ½ packet taco seasoning. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a very large bowl combine, lettuce, kidney beans, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and cheese; mix well. Right before serving, add seasoned beef and Fritos; mix well. Add bottle of Catalina dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
I am passionate about good food, cooking for family and friends, and creating recipes that form lasting memories from one generation to the next. I hope you find inspiration for cooking and creating here!
Ben says
September 18, 2017 at 3:54 amThanks for not screwing this up with doritos or trying to make it resemble a traditional taco salad, my Mom used to make this years ago and it’s kind of it’s own thing.
The only difference when I make it is I use iceberg lettuce for crunch and at a higher ratio to the other ingredients and put the chips on top so they stay crunchy, I can see avocado and roasted corn being really good though.
Lourdes says
April 4, 2018 at 12:54 pmHi, I did your recipe and added corn and avocado. I ended up using green olives since they were what I had available at the time. Great recipe! Made it for super bowl and no one could keep their hands off it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Jennifer says
April 6, 2018 at 12:52 pmThank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!