This is the chic version of the retro Doritos taco salad! We’ve all had it before, right? You’ve got the ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, the French dressing, lots of romaine, black beans, and of course, cheddar cheese. This is version 2.0. Sure, it’s named Potluck Taco Salad aka Dorito taco salad recipe, but this is not the stuff from the 60’s! We’ve jazzed it up with homemade pickled red onions, pickled jalapeños, a dollop of sour cream, and lots of fire-roasted corn. The Catalina dressing is simple, and I’m willing to bet you already have most if not all the ingredients in your kitchen already. And well, whether you’re a fan of the classic taco salad or not, this one is sure to tip you right into the like-it category!
Ingredients for potluck taco salad:
Ground Beef: I use 1 pound ground beef. Once you brown ground beef in a pan, just drain the excess grease before adding the meat to the salad bowl, if yours had a higher fat content. You can also use ground turkey, chicken, or even meatless protein if you want to make this a little lighter!Taco Seasoning: I have a killer homemade taco seasoning recipe that would work beautifully here, you’ll need about 2-3 tablespoons if you use the homemade version. You can also use a packet of store-bought seasonings, if you prefer.Romaine Lettuce: I like using romaine lettuce instead of the classic iceberg lettuce but totally your call! To mark this even more nutritious sub some or all of the romaine for baby spinach!Cherry Tomatoes: My parents grew the beautiful tomatoes you see in these pictures! So if you’ve got a garden, use what you’ve got! You can also use grape or chopped Romas for this recipe.Orange Bell Pepper: A high source of vitamin C! Sweet peppers work here as well or a bell pepper of a different color!Fire-roasted Corn: I like to buy fresh corn and just grill it on an outdoor or indoor grill until the corn kernels char then I just remove the corn from the cob. Many grocery stores now sell fire-roasted corn in the frozen aisle – that would work beautifully in this recipe. Just be sure to defrost and drain the corn before adding it to the potluck taco salad. P.S If you like this recipe, you’ll love this charred corn salad.Cilantro: Feel free to skip this if you aren’t a fan, no biggie!Green Onions: Add color and oniony flavor without being too harsh.Pickled Jalapeños: Liven up the whole salad! Lots of color, crunch and a light pickled flavor to spice things up!Beans: You can use whatever you like here! I used pinto beans this time but I’ve also used black beans in the past. If you like kidney beans, add those instead!Shredded Cheese: I use a blend of shredded Mexican cheese for this recipe, however, you can use whatever kind of cheese you prefer.Red Wine Vinegar: Is the acid in our Catalina dressing. Most Catalina dressing recipes also contain a shake of Worcestershire sauce, and some coarse ground mustard, I’ve opted to omit these ingredients from my recipe because the dressing to me tastes better without them. Feel free to add these if you prefer.Ketchup: This is my absolute favorite ketchup. It’s the only one we use because it has the tiniest baby kick to it! If you want to add a little spice and don’t have spicy ketchup on hand, just add a pinch cayenne with the other seasonings.Seasonings: I’ve got some sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder going into the dressing.Avocado Oil: Is the oil I use for the dressing. Feel free to use olive oil or any other light colored oil you have on hand.
Making this not so classic taco salad recipe:
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