Yummo. I didn't have the dressing so we just used picante salsa and taco bell hot sauce as the dressing. I also mixed the iceberg lettuce with mixed green lettuce for more health benefits. I also added black olives, used guacamole rather than avocado, chili beans rather than plain pinto beans, and added canned sweet whole corn and red bell pepper for a rainbow colored mostly healthy dinner. Nacho cheese chips worked well as a substitute for tortilla chips.
I have not personally made this specific recipe but I have made something that is very similar to it! I use Dorthy Lynch dressing instead of the Catalina dressing and it gives it AWESOME flavor. My husband LOVES it!!!! So if you are wanting something that isn't really sweet, try the other dressing you wont be mad you did!
This was really good! I read a review about using 2 packets of taco seasoning, tried it, bad idea. The meat was way too salty! The salad mixture itself was delicious. Next time I will use only the green onions and I am going to use ranch instead of the catalina. Other reviewers have great add-in ideas (black beans, corn, black olives) which I can't wait to try. I am so glad I found this site!
My husband and I thought this recipe was great! My husband is not a big fan of Taco Salads....so, I was pleased when he said this one was the best he has ever had. The only thing I did different was I waited to put the lettuce and chips. We just put them on our individual servings. We used Frito corn chips...it was delicious!
This recipe was GREAT...we had tomake a salad for class in Culinary Arts and it was a big hit...all my classmated loved it.
This was great! I wanted to make it a healthier choice, so I use fat free Catalina, and 2% cheese. I also left out the onions and avacado. I didn't mix it all together and the next day use the meat and bean mixture for nachos. Yummy!
This was a delicious, one-dish salad for supper. I preferred just adding all of the ingredients to the top of the butter lettuce mix I had as opposed to mixing them all up. I'm sure that would work great for a crowd, though. I used leftover sloppy joe mix, because I like to use what I have on hand. In place of the pinto beans, I used light red kidney beans. I liberally sprinkled homemade taco seasoning mix over the salad before adding the dressing. The Catalina dressing works really well here, and I used my own homemade version from another site. I also used tortilla chips instead of corn chips. Thanks for the great recipe, Melanie!
This salad was really good! We left out the onions due to personal preference but that was the only change we made! I'm bringing the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks Melanie!
Love this recipe for a quick and easy, tasty dinner! I've made it multiple times already and subbed out the dressing for salsa and sour cream and also subbed chicken and beef!
I made this and put it in taco shells that I baked in the oven.. I used refried beans for convenience and my own chipotle dressing since I don't use bottled!.. So good with cilantro, cheese, olives, salsa, green onions! I didn't put the chips in, but served them on the side!.. Thanks!
Left out the corn chips and instead served it in a taco bowl. Replaced the dressing with a salsa-sour cream mixture. Will be a staple for sure!!
Very good although I'm new to this site and didn't know that you could adjust the serving size. I made this for me and my wife last night and it made a LOT of salad before I realized it was 8 servings. Otherwise, very filling and doesn't leave you feeling "fat". I had 2 helpings :)
This was absolutely delicious and the whole family devoured it. Perfect summertime meal -- will definitely make again and again!
I made this recipe exactly as written with the exception of eliminating the avocado. I was hesitant that it would discolor. Everyone really enjoy the salad, but it does taste better served the next day. The flavors meld together.
We were hungry for tacos, but didn't want to make the shells, so threw this together. I only used pinto beans, (Ranch style with jalapenos) and a spicy home made ranch dressing. I also added some chopped cilantro when I chopped the avacado, onion and tomato together, added a little lime juice and bottled pepper sauce to that as well. Wonderful warm evening supper!
This is an excellent salad, everyone loves. I believe it tastes much better with Western Dressing!!
I used veggie crumbles instead of hamburger and skipped the beans. I prepped the "meat" right before assembling the salad and tossed it in while still warm on top of the lettuce, tomatoes & avocado. I sprinkled the cheese on top of that, then the crushed chips and then tossed it all together. For dressing we served salsa and sour cream on the side and everyone got to dress their own salad as per their taste. It was a bit hit, even with my fussy kids & husband, and the leftovers tasted good the next day too.
Big fan! I didn't use catalina dressing. Instead I used about half cup of salsa. I don't normally rate recipes that I have altered but I have had a similar taco salad with catalina so I know that it's good. My boys gobbled this up fast! We will make this again soon!
We loved this recipe! Didn't have avocado, so we added black beans to the meat as it was cooking - provided additional nutrition, fiber, color, texture and flavor. I put everything in bowls like a salad bar and let our family make their own salads. We will make this again and again. Thanks Melanie.
Great taco salad, I minused the beans. The guests seemed to like it. EDIT : Made with the beans and I really liked it! I will use half of each of the beans next time because it was super beaney!
This has been a staple in my house and for parties for years. We love it. I use Catalina dressing or for a little zing- Western dressing is great.
This was very good. I did everything as written. The only thing I would change next time is to reduce the amount of red onion, or perhaps dice it instead of slicing it. It was just a but much. Otherwise, very yummy! Thanks!
wonderful! The avacados in our local store were nasty so I bought prepared guacamole and snipped a corner off the bag and squirted it over the other ingredients. I used a bag of shredded lettuce (time saving) and subbed the pinto beans for garbanzo beans as suggested in another recipe. My husband raved. We will be using this again.
I thought this recipe made a very good taco salad! The only changes I made were to use Lite French dressing and I omitted the beans (personal preference). I did not mix the dressing in the salad but put it on the table and let everyone add how much they wanted. Very good!
For a twist we use Italain dressing instead of Catalina & use nacho cheese chips.
made this for a family party of 21. added black olives to the recipe, it was delicious! i felt (as did most others that i ate it with) that you didnt need any dressing, the juice from the meat was good enough! im adding this to my go to easy recipes!
Nice basic taco salad recipe! Just as good with ground turkey instead of beef. Catalina dressing didn't sound appetizing to me. Topped it with salsa instead. Thanks for the recipe!!
This salad was declicious! I used the premade southwestern chicken strips and added black beans instead and was impressed! I will eat this up for lunch tomorrow. Very easy to make and no cooking involved with the chicken!
This was very easy to make, and was more than enough for my family of 4. Thanks!
Pretty good! I didn't have all the ingredients, but it was still very tasty. Light, but filling!
Very good! Didn’t use chips and opted for a tortilla bowl and instead of the Catalina dressing, I mixed some taco sauce with ranch dressing and it was
I followed the recipe and wasn't that impressed. I didn't like the dressing suggestion and think it would have been better if it was a spicy lime vinaigrette. I thought it was a little bland. If I would make again, I would add jalapeno and I would change the dressing. My family all used the dressing the recipe called for, while I used salsa.
I liked this recipe a lot. It really satisfied my craving. I changed a few things, didn't add so much onion, I made Pico de Gallo instead and used that. I also cooked my own kidney beans and just used those. I added some sour cream and Mission chips. Yummy!
pretty good, girlfriend absolutely loved it! I kinda like meatier food so I would have added another half pound or even full pound of beef.. FYI to the people who say it's "too sweet".. you're not supposed to dump the entire bottle of dressing into it, read the recipe through before commenting!
This is a great recipe. Easy and tasty. The Catalina Salad dressing is great--and so easy to add! A keeper I've done for many years.
It is good, but too sweet with the Catalina dressing. Maybe using a salsa instead of dressing would be better. Also, I the prep time seems highly optimistic. It took me 1hr 15min from start to finish. There is just no way to slice up an onion, a bunch of green onions, 2 tomatoes, and shred the cheese all in 15min.
Reviewed with these changes. I omitted the red onion and green onion and added chopped onion when I browned the beef. Also the pinto beans as we don't like them. I didn't use the avocado but should because they are so good for you. Thank you heatherjane for the recipe
We have made this recipe a few times, and always make extras because it really is excellent thee next day! It's always a huge hit at potluck events.
I usually use a friend's taco salad recipe, but I had misplaced it and I hadn't heard back from her before I had to shop for ingredients; so I logged into this trusted website and again, you didn't let me down. I choose this recipe for the convenience of it. It was easy to make - and I made a double batch because it went to a youth groups end of year bash. My bowl came back EMPTY (and there was lots!!) I'm glad I made myself a bowl to taste it before I sent it; it was AMAZING! I can't wait to go out shopping for more ingredients to make some for myself. I did not change anything in the recipe; I did omit the avocado per my son's request. Next time, I'm adding the avocado!! ps - I so appreciate the review that made this recipe a little healthier since I am trying to stick with healthy choices now. THANKS SO MUCH!!
Loved it! Did not mix all together since I knew we'd have leftovers. Will make again for sure!
this salad was amazing and soo easy to make. The family loved it!! i also added a little cilantro. I know that this will be gone tomorrow for lunch!!! mmmmmm! good! even my picky children loved it! EXQUISITE!
left out the red onion because I'm the only one that likes it and omitted the kidney beans because I don't like those. :) But my husband loved the salad and we all had seconds!
My boyfriend & I loved this. I used ground turkey instead & fried up my own corn tortilla strips for that extra crunch. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!!!
This is my Taco Salad inspiration recipe! I vary depending on what I have on hand. Love the pinto bean in it and the Catalina does it for me especially if the meat is spicy! I do use a vegetarian meat alternative, never used kidney because for me....yucky... and we prefer a green mix vs. just iceberg. Roasted corn, radishes, cilantro, jalapeno or Hatch, black beans or whatever and it has always been fantastic in our home!
This is pretty close to how I remember it from when I was little. I thought I would make this for my daughter and her girlfriend, but they didn't like it as much as I had hoped. I'm not sure what it is, but it's VERY sweet. I'm assuming that Catalina dressing over the years has really changed because I don't remember it being this sweet. Then again, that may have been the reason why I loved it so much when I was little! I'll keep it and tweak it to our family's taste with some thousand island mixed in to cut the sweetness! Thanks!!
Thank u for the taco salad tips, I normally don't put Pinto. Beans in mine, but that sounds even better. I know what's for dinner tomorrow night
This was very good. The best part was that everyone could "build" their own salad based on their tastes.
This was very good i use Doritos the regular cheese kind intead of the corn torilla chips. It hads more flavor and is very good. i also use sour cream and franks red hot sauce on it too. very yummy!
The salad was really good, but WAY too much for two people. I will cut the recipe in half next time. I didn't have a big enough bowl to mix everything. I used two large bowls.
I made this for my family and it was a big hit. The combination of the seasoned meat with Catalina dressed lettuce and chips is wonderful and I think its great that you can be flexible with the other add ins to satisfy personal preferences. I have a request for an encore this week.
I serve this at the firehouse and it is always a treat that can be prepared quickly for lunch.
This was pretty good. I should have added in more tomatoes though. My fault, not the recipe's fault! A good and quick dinner! =)
Everyone loved this! I used ground turkey instead of beef, omitted the kidney beans, used regular Doritos and Ranch dressing instead of Catalina.
This is how my family has always made Taco Salad! When I make it I leave out the taco seasoning, onions, and avocados. You must use Catalina dressing and Frito type of corn chips.
Pretty good! I love onions, but for someone who doesn't, this would be too "oniony" for them. Makes a lot, so plan accordingly!
I made this at home 1st before making it for a pot luck just to be on the safe side since it was a new recipe. It was amazing! I substituted ground turkey and added frozen corn to the meat when you add the seasoning. This was so good I made it three times that week and can't wait to make it again.
I grew up on this salad on hot days ! Saw this recipe come in and thought my family should give it a shot! After much grumbling and "that looks gross" as they watched me make it, they all tried it with much tripidation. When they all went back for seconds, I realized next time I will double the recipe. A new family favorite !
This turned out great. Took it to a pot luck and had one guy go out of his way to tell me how good it was. Changes I made were to omit the onion, used only 1 can of beans and no avocado. It took most of the bottle of dressing, which I put on right before serving along with the crushed nacho chips.
Very good and easy salad to prepare. Enjoyed by everyone at luncheon. Will use iceberg next time--I didn't have anything but romaine and thought it would work. Lesson learned.
The dish turned out excellent. I made a few tweaks to fit my tastes, but a terrific base for a dinner selection
Turned out great! Added cooked corn, used black beans instead of pinto beans and used Cathy’s suggestion for modifying the dressing (mixed together Catalina dressing, sour cream, a bit of taco seasoning and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix). Will definitely make this again!
Nice summer dinner. I subbed kidney beans out of personal preference. I used a sweet Vidalia onion tomato dressing and it was perfect for this. I skipped the chips but added a dollop of sour cream. Served instant Mexican rice on the side for a quick, throw-together, too hot to slave over a stove kind of evening. Next time I'll cook up the meat in the morning for more flavor and possibly add cilantro to brighten it up a bit.
Good recipe but a good taco salad involves a tortilla bowl...not corn chips. Corn chips are for nacho salads.
This recipe is awesome! The best out there. However there is one thing I do different that makes a big difference. After cooking the ground beef and adding the taco seasoning, I then add the beans and the Catalina dressing. This is refrigerated over night. The meat soaks up the dressing so it's not too soggy. The day of serving add the other ingredients. I then crush taco flavored Doritos and add them right before serving. If you had chips to any portion that will be left over, they will be soggy.
Perfect recipe for quick dinner. Maintain the meat mixture separate from the greens for several days storage. A great mixture for baked potatoes.
My family loved this salad!! It will be a go to for a refreshing, quick dinner. I did not put onions in mine (not a fan), no kidney beans with avocado on the side. Other than that I made it to recipe.
