Mexican Taco Salad
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Aug. 17, 2022
When you want a hearty salad that’s different from the usual, this Mexican Taco Salad hits the spot! It’s a robust, extremely flavorful salad that is a meal in itself. Perfect for large gatherings.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Everyone!
Hope you all have more exciting party plans than I do this year. We are up to our foreheads with our schedule this next week, so the best we can do for Cinco de Mayo is eat.
Yeah, eat. That’s not so bad, actually. There are several hole-in-the-wall taco spots Hubby and I plan on venturing to in the very near future. It’s a bit trickier in this neck of the woods to find great little Mexican restaurant gems. We were spoiled in Los Angeles.
You know we have our list of restaurant must-do’s that invariably include favorite family-owned Mexican eateries whenever we get back to L.A.
All this Mexican food talk is making me want to eat.
Let’s just get to today’s recipe, shall we?
This yummy Mexican Taco Salad won’t be on any authentic hole-in-wall establishment’s menu, I’m quite certain. Still, this salad is absolutely delish for any big gathering you might be having…. Cinco de Mayo or any other day of the year!
I like making a big batch of this hearty salad for large parties, as it easily satisfies a crowd.
Men especially devour this salad, as it’s big on flavor and robust. Definitely not a dainty little thing.
This Mexican Taco Salad is teeming with savory ground beef, crispy lettuce and corn chips, and amped up with salsa and cheese.
This is one of those easy salads that comes together quickly, is fuss-free, and turns out awesome every time.
Be sure to wait until serving time to pour on the dressing; that way, your greens stay nice and crispy underneath all that other goodness.
Enjoy!
Did you make this?
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Mexican Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 envelopes taco seasoning, divided
- 1 small head iceberg or romaine lettuce, shredded or torn
- 2 cups nacho tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 can kidney beans, 16 oz, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans sliced black olives, 2.25 oz each, drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 can sweet corn kernels, 16 oz, drained
- 1 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
- 6 oz prepared salsa, jarred or homemade
- 2 TB granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, over medium heat, stir beef together with 1 envelope taco seasoning until cooked through. Drain and set aside beef.
- In a bowl, whisk together salad dressing, salsa, sugar, and 1 envelope taco seasoning. Transfer to desired dressing container and set aside.
- When ready to serve: Combine lettuce, tomatoes, beans, olives, cheese, onion, corn, and beef in a large serving bowl. Toss to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle top with chips. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Source: Chew Out Loud, adapted from Taste of Home Sept. 2008
For a hearty Mexican inspired main dish, we adore this Mexican Enchilada Casserole… YUM.
This Mexican 7-Layer Dip is the best one we’ve ever tasted, if we humbly do say so ourselves 🙂
White Chicken Enchilada is awesome for potlucks, parties, or just the family dinner:
