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I love this recipe. My Dad made this when we were growing up, and it’s become a family favorite. And, sometimes when you have a lot of people to feed, you just want something quick and easy.
This is the perfect recipe for taco salad when you have to feed a crowd.
Sometimes that crowd is just your own family of five, and it’s enough for everybody to have seconds. But, it’s easy to double or triple, too so that you can feed a LOT of people. We had this at a casual rehearsal dinner when I got married, and it’s one of the few ways I can get my kids to eat a little lettuce.
The catalina dressing might surprise you, but actually, it’s a really delicious addition to give this salad a little zip.
If you want to just dump everything in a bowl, and have an amazingly delicious, hearty salad, then this is the recipe you want to try!
Ingredients for Easiest Taco Salad
Looking for more salad recipes? I’ve got you covered:
Watermelon Basil Feta Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cranberry Apple Bacon Salad with Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
THE EASIEST TACO SALAD WHEN YOU HAVE TO FEED A CROWD
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- 1 head of iceburg lettuce
- 1 Bag of your favorite tortilla chips
- 1 15 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 bottle of catalina dressing
Instructions
In a large skillet, brown your meat. When meat is browned, add your taco seasoning and follow package directions.
While your meat is browning, wash your head of lettuce use a lettuce spinner to get off any excess water from your lettuce.
Once your lettuce is ready, use a lettuce knife to cut it up and add it to a large bowl. (Trust me, a lettuce knife is a must have in your kitchen and makes this recipe so much easier.)
When your meat is done, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Next, chop up your tomato and green pepper and add to your bowl with lettuce. Rinse your pinto beans and add them to the bowl along with the meat.
Shred your cheddar cheese and add to the bowl along with the chips. If you want to mix this recipe up, it would be really good with Doritos, or fritos, too.
Once you've added the chips, you'll need to break them up into smaller chips while mixing all ingredients together.
Last, drizzle with Catalina dressing. You don't want too much, but just enough to coat your salad. Once you've added the dressing, mix it well and serve.
Sometimes, I add the Catalina dressing to individual bowls instead of mixing it all together, so the chips won't get soggy if you are going to have leftovers.
I cook an inexpensive meal for 20 every week. This would be a complete meal- maybe some more chips on the side?
How many adult-size main dish servings would this give me? Should I double or triple?