Dorito Taco Salad Recipe

This Dorito Taco Salad recipe is a tasty spin on traditional taco salad. Do you love tacos? Do you love Doritos?

Okay, then this is for you!! This delicious salad has taco meat, Doritos, chili beans, white cheddar cheese, cotija cheese, avocado, a corn salsa mixture, pumpkin seeds and the BEST Salsa Verde Ranch Dressing!

I use Cool Ranch Doritos but you can use Nacho Cheese Doritos or Spicy Doritos too. This is such a great main dish and you can also use it for Taco Tuesday to switch things up a bit!

This Doritos Taco Salad recipe also works well as a side dish. Particularly at parties or holiday get togethers.

Try this easy recipe out next time you’re looking for a dish to take to a party. You’ll get rave reviews, my whole family loves it! If you like this taco salad then my Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme recipe + Cheesy Gordita Crunch will be right up your alley.

The first time I made it my kids loved it. It was like a “taco in a bowl” to them.

They’re also completely obsessed with Doritos, so I could probably put Doritos on anything and they would eat it!

Ingredients for Dorito Taco Salad

• Ground Beef – I use ground chuck but you could also use lean ground beef
• Chili Beans – I use canned chili beans for a little extra flavor but black beans or pinto beans would work as well
• Taco Seasoning Mix – Store bought or homemade taco seasoning will work. When making homemade I use a mixture of chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, cumin and a dash or two of smoked paprika
• Doritos – I used Cool Ranch Doritos but you can also use Nacho Cheese flavor, Spicy or just a plain tortilla chip. You can use whole or crushed Doritos
• White Cheddar – White cheddar is my personal favorite for this dish but yellow cheddar cheese works great too
• Cotija Cheese – This is a Mexican cheese that almost has the texture of Parmesan cheese
• Tomatoes – Grape and cherry tomatoes work well for salads but you can also use vine ripened tomatoes
• Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice is best
• Jalapeno – Use fresh jalapeno. They are sliced in the salad and used in the dressing. If you’re not a fan of heat then you can leave this out
• Kosher Salt – Salt brings out the flavors of all the ingredients
• Avocado – I love avocado slices in my salads
• Honey – A little honey to sweeten the corn and tomato mix
• Corn – I prefer frozen or fresh corn
• Red Onion – Red onions give this Dorito Taco Salad recipe some extra color
• Cumin – Cumin to season the corn salad
• Chipotle Chili Powder – Chipotle chili powder to season the corn salad
• Pepitas – They give a little added crunch to this Dorito Taco Salad recipe. Pepitas are also known as pumpkin seeds. They’re small and green
• Romaine Lettuce – I like the crunch of romaine in my salads but you could use ice berg lettuce too
• Cilantro – Cilantro is used in the dressing and the Dorito Taco Salad
• Lime Wedges – Serve the salad with a lime wedge
• Tomatillos – These are for the dressing. They look like green tomatoes covered in a green husk
• Yellow Onion – For the dressing
• Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are best for the dressing
• Ranch Dressing – I always use the Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Packet mix to make my ranch dressing but if you have a favorite ranch then by all means, use that to make the salsa ranch
• Olive Oil – Just a drizzle to cook the ground beef

Equipment needed

• Mixing Bowls – You will need a large mixing bowl (or salad bowl), medium mixing bowl and a small mixing bowl
• Large Skillet – Use a large skillet to cook the taco meat
• Sharp Knife – As always, a sharp knife is one of the most important things in the kitchen
• Cutting Board – I love a large cutting board with grips, like this. Having a large board makes life in the kitchen so much easier
• Food Processor – You’ll need a food processor or blender to blend the salsa verde
• Medium Pot – You’ll boil the tomatillos and jalapenos in a medium pot before blending

Tips for Dorito Taco Salad

• You can make the salsa ranch up to 1 week in advance. It’s also delicious on other salads, tacos, quesadillas or my Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe
• If you need to save time and want to make this Dorito Taco Salad recipe ahead of time then you can make all the components to it but don’t mix it together until you’re ready to serve it. Otherwise it will end up soggy
• I don’t know if you’ve ever mixed ranch and French dressing together on your salad before but you can get kind of the same effect if you mix Catalina dressing with this Salsa Ranch. If you like a little sweetness in your dressing then give it a shot
• You can sub out the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken or any other ground meat. You could also use tofu in place of the ground beef
• This Dorito Taco Salad recipe is great for weeknight dinners because it’s such an easy meal. Especially if you’re able to make the dressing on the weekend or any day ahead of time
• Add a little hot sauce if you like a spicy taco salad
• You can add black olives, sour cream, green onions or any of your favorite toppings
• This is a great taco salad to take to family gatherings, it’s always a hit!

How to store Dorito Taco Salad

Storing this Dorito Taco Salad recipe can be a little bit difficult once everything has been mixed together. There’s really no way to do it to get a long shelf life.

You can store the rest of the salad in an airtight container for about 24 hours if it’s already been dressed. After than it will get super soggy.

If you haven’t put the dressing on it yet then you can store it in an airtight container for 24-48 hours. It will still get soggy quickly because of the corn salad and beans.

If you’ve made all of the components and kept them separate then they can all be stored in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. The dressing will keep for up to 7 days.

Heat the beef mixture slightly before adding it to the salad if you’ve been keeping it in the fridge. The Dorito chips do not need to be stored in the fridge if they are still separate.

What goes good with Taco Salad?

This Dorito Taco Salad recipe is a tasty salad to eat as a meal by itself. That’s what I most often do.

If you’re serving it as a side though, here are some ideas of what to serve it with:

• Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Recipe
• Summer Fruit Salad
• Cheese Quesadillas
• Cheese Enchiladas
• Tortilla Soup
• Black Bean Soup
• Enchilada Soup

How to make Dorito Taco Salad

This easy Dorito Taco Salad recipe comes together pretty quickly. First, boil the tomatillos and fresh jalapenos over medium heat in a medium sauce pot until tender.

Then blend all salsa verde ingredients together. Mix in the ranch dressing and set aside.

Next sauté the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high- heat until almost fully cooked. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks.

Drain any excess grease.

Stir in the taco seasoning and cook for 1 more minute. Take the meat mixture off the heat and set aside until needed.

While the beef is cooking stir all of the corn salad ingredients together then set aside.

Place a bed of lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl then top with taco meat and add remaining ingredients. Top with taco salad dressing and Doritos then serve!

This yummy taco salad is one of my family’s favorites and I hope it is yours too! If you love a good Mexican inspired beef dish then you’d LOVE Birria Quesadillas. One of our favorite, most flavorful dinner dishes.

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