Fiesta Taco Salad

This fiesta taco salad recipe is quick, easy, and packed with flavor. Make a taco salad bar and load up your crushed Doritos and taco-seasoned ground beef with your favorite taco toppings, like cheese, sour cream, Catalina dressing, and fresh veggies.

This fiesta taco salad recipe I’m sharing today is one that reminds me so much of my childhood. When my brother and I were old enough, my mom taught us some easy meals so that we could cook hot meals for ourselves. Things like spaghetti and tacos and even meatloaf. I’m sure this salad will be familiar to many of you. This is one my brother and I now make for our own families.

What we loved most about it is my mom let us make it however we liked it. We would put all the ingredients into bowls and then we could just go down the line and add on whatever we wanted. It felt like a buffet to us and I just know your kids will get a kick out of it too. This is also a great recipe to double to feed a larger crowd. Have a taco salad bar!

We start with a bed of crushed Doritos and add some taco-seasoned ground beef on top. Then you add whatever toppings you like. I’ve included my suggestions below, which include kidney beans, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, Catalina dressing, and lots of cheddar cheese.

But feel free to make this fiesta taco salad recipe your own. I’ve included some ideas below, but you can easily change out the Doritos with regular tortilla chips. And have fun and play around with your favorite taco toppings on this!

Recipe Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Taco seasoning
• Doritos
• Dark red kidney beans
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Diced tomatoes
• Sour cream
• Catalina dressing

How to Make Fiesta Taco Salad

Brown and drain the beef of excess fat then add the packet of taco seasoning (whichever one is your favorite or if you make your own). Add necessary water (following the directions on the back of the package). Let the water reduce until the beef mixture is thick and the flavors meld, then turn off the heat.

Crush a handful (or more) of Doritos and place them on a plate, then add a layer of the taco beef mixture.

Then add whatever toppings you prefer: kidney beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and then lightly drizzle with Catalina dressing.

Some other topping ideas include salsa, pinto beans, diced bell peppers, diced red onion, refried beans, olives, black beans, fresh cilantro, or jalapenos.

Storage

Store the leftover toppings separately in either the pantry or fridge and reassemble them whenever you want a taco salad. The cooked ground beef will last up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. You can simply reheat it in the microwave before making another taco salad.

Recipe Notes

• Substitute the Catalina dressing for Thousand Island dressing if you prefer.
• If you want to bring back the Fiesta Taco Salad from Taco Bell, substitute the crushed Doritos for an Old El Paso tortilla bowl, which you can pick up at most grocery stores. You can also make homemade baked tortilla bowls using flour tortillas.
• As mentioned below, you can substitute the lean ground beef for ground turkey if you prefer. For something different, use diced boneless skinless chicken breast instead.
• Substitute the cheddar cheese for shredded sharp cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blend.

Recipe FAQs

What ingredients were in the Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad?

Discontinued in 2020, the Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad included a crisp taco shell filled with ground beef, refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and sour cream. For an additional cost, you could substitute the ground beef for chicken or steak.

Check out these other tasty taco-inspired dishes:

Taco Pizza Recipe

Taco Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Sweet Potato Tacos With Black Beans

Taco Soup (The World’s Easiest Supper)

Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Greek Chicken Tacos

 

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