Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
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Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing is a super easy and quick dinner that everyone can add exactly what they like! Topped with homemade Catalina dressing, Doritos, shredded cheese, black olives, sour cream and more!
What You Will ❤️ About Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
- Quick! In the time it takes to make your taco meat – the whole dinner is ready!
- Versatile! You can add the toppings you like or take the ones out you don’t! So everybody can have the exact salad they want!
- Affordable! I grabbed up 1.5 lb of ground pork for just $2.15! Ground pork is a great substitute for ground beef and actually has a bit more flavor.
Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing Ingredients
Taco Salad is pretty standard in my house but let me tell you the Catalina dressing is a delicious addition! And – while you can buy a bottle of it – you can make it in two minutes and it’s even better than the bottled variety!
- Catalina Dressing
- Liquids: ketchup, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce & canola oil
- Spices: sugar, salt, ground mustard, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper
- Taco Meat
- Ground Pork – I used ground pork because it was $2/lb!
- Taco Seasoning – you can use a packet of taco seasoning or
- Salad Ingredients – there are so many yummy toppings and fresh veggies for Taco Salad – here’s what I used for all the taco flavors along with a bunch more ideas you can add!
- Romaine or Iceberg lettuce
- Cool Ranch Doritos – this is a personal preference – use what you like whether it’s Fritos, Nacho Cheese Doritos or just plain tortilla chips
- Fiesta Corn
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – swap with what you like – monterey jack or pepper jack are great also!
- Black Olives
- Tomatoes
- Green onions
- Sour Cream
- OPTIONAL: Red Onion, Avocado, Cilantro, Lime Wedges, Salsa
- Beans are great too: Black beans, Red Kidney Beans, Ranch Style Beans or Pinto Beans – just drain and rinse and add to the salad
How to Make Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
This taco salad recipe is super simple and a delicious main dish! I URGE you to make the dressing instead of buying it. It makes just the right amount of dressing for 4-6 salads and it’s so delicious.
CATALINA SALAD DRESSING:
- In a medium batter bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2/3 cup
TACO MEAT:
- In a non-stick large skillet over medium heat, brown ground pork until no pink remains.
- Add water and taco seasoning and stir until heated through.
PUT TOGETHER YOUR DORITO TACO SALAD:
- In a large bowl, chop romaine lettuce.
- Add taco meat mixture and all your toppings to the lettuce.
- Diced Tomatoes, Doritos, corn, shredded cheese, green onions and black olives.
- Toss gently.
- Top with Catalina dressing and a dollop of sour cream.
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Well – not much! Catalina is a type of French dressing. Catalina is slightly more red (it’s got 1/3 cup ketchup) and a little sweeter.
Well – salad can be difficult to store. I recommend keeping leftovers separate with the lettuce and taco meat in separate containers and just make up the salads individually. I tore up the whole head of romaine and kept the rest of the lettuce in an airtight container (I like these glass ones). Store your taco meat in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat taco meat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and make your salad up again!
Only 1-2 days or your lettuce will start to take a dive!
Recipe Substitutions & Variations
- Meat – I swapped lean ground beef for pork but you could also use ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Tortilla Strips – Don’t have Doritos? You can use any kind of corn chips or even those salad tortilla strips.
- Toppings – I shared a huge list of toppings – you can really customize this to your liking!
- Dressing – if you’re not so sure about Catalina – ranch dressing & salsa are always a great combo for taco salad!
More Salad Recipes
More Taco-Style Recipes
More Salad Dressing Recipes
Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
Ingredients
Catalina Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- Dash turmeric
- Dash cayenne pepper
Taco Meat
- 1.5 lb lean ground pork
- 4 tbsp Taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
- 1/2 cup water
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 cups Cool Ranch Doritos crushed
- 1/3 cup Fiesta Corn drained
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1/3 cup green onions sliced
- 1/3 cup sour cream
Optional Salad Toppings
- 1/2 cup beans black, pinto, kidney
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro diced
- 1 lime wedges for juice
- 1/4 cup salsa
Instructions
Catalina Salad Dressing
- In a medium batter bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.1/3 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup canola oil, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground mustard, 1/8 tsp paprika, Dash turmeric, Dash cayenne pepper
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2/3 cup
Taco Meat
- In a non-stick large skillet over medium heat, brown ground pork until no pink remains.1.5 lb lean ground pork
- Add water and taco seasoning and stir until heated through.4 tbsp Taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water
Put Doritos Taco Salad Together
- In a large bowl, chop romaine lettuce.1 head romaine lettuce
- Add taco meat mixture and all your toppings to the lettuce. (Diced Tomatoes, Doritos, corn, shredded cheese, green onions and black olives)2 cups Cool Ranch Doritos, 1/3 cup Fiesta Corn, 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 cup sliced black olives, 2 tomatoes, 1/3 cup green onions
- Toss gently.
- Top with Catalina dressing and a dollop of sour cream.1/3 cup sour cream
