This easy Taco Salad with homemade Catalina dressing is made in under 30 minutes and is on repeat all summer long at our house! It’s loaded with all your favorite taco toppings – seasoned ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, black beans, crunchy tortilla chips and tossed in my homemade tangy and sweet Catalina dressing! 

It’s not summer until you make a Taco Salad! Before moving out when I still lived at home, I remember having taco salad nearly every Sunday night after we got home from church in the summer. We never complained because we all loved it (hello, crunchy tortilla chips in salad anyone??) but I totally get why my mom did this. She usually prepped everything in the late afternoon and after church she just tossed it all together and had happy, full tummies in minutes! It’s such a hearty, flavorful salad that everyone will love. Even the pickiest eaters since you can choose whatever you’d like in your salad. It’s perfect for potlucks and summer BBQs, too!    

With some holidays coming up, I thought the Taco Salad would be a perfect recipe to share with you guys. When taking this salad to functions, I suggest waiting until just before serving to add the tortilla chips and dressing. Or else it can get soggy depending on how long it sits before serving it. It comes together quickly and can be changed up so easily! You can make this however you’d like with the ingredients you have on hand. If you’d rather use chicken or turkey instead of beef, it’s a great substitution.

Yield: 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS

Homemade Catalina Dressing

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup ketchup 
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil (I prefer this Bertolli because of its light taste)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced onion 
• Few dashes paprika 
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Taco Salad

• 1 lb lean ground beef 
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning 
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 
• 1 small red onion, chopped 
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Zesty Taco Arriba, Doritos, or tortilla chips, crushed 
• 1 cup Catalina Dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all the dressing ingredients together in the blender. Pulse until everything is mixed together. Store the dressing in a jar in the fridge. (The salad dressing can be mixed up a few days in advance.)
2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once fully cooked, drain off excess fat.
3. Add the taco seasoning to the beef and stir until fully coated. Set aside to cool. 
4. In a large serving bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and ground beef.
5. Right before serving add crushed chips and desired amount of dressing. Toss to coat.