A family favorite, this Tex-Mex Taco Salad recipe has been in my family since I was a little girl. It’s the perfect supper on a hot summer night.

I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit over the years to fit my family’s needs and my food allergies, but it’s still a winner in my recipe book.

What I love about this recipe, is that you can tweak it fit whatever you have in your pantry and freezer.  Use ground turkey, pinto beans, and plain chips.  Just use up all those odds and ends and clean out your pantry. I hate when there is a little of this and a little of that hanging around, even if you only have a half bottle of dressing…just go for it!

We love to take it over to the community pool for a light and cool supper that we can eat easily without a lot of fuss.  It’s great for a picnic and the leftovers are even better.  It’s also great without meat as a side salad too!

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

A family favorite, this Tex-Mex Taco Salad recipe has been in my family since I was a little girl. It's the perfect supper on a hot summer night.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 pkg taco seasoning (I make my own Homemade Taco Seasoning)
• 2 (15oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 bottle French dressing
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large head of lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small bag chips (Doritos or I prefer RiceChips Sweet Chili or similar)
• 1/2-1 lb cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Instructions

2. Brown and drain ground beef. Season with taco seasoning according to package directions. Remove from heat. Add drained beans, dressing, and onions. Stir to mix. Chill for several hours.
3. Add cheese, if desired, when cool. Just before serving, add lettuce, tomatoes, and lightly crushed chips. Mix together and serve.
4. **My favorite way to serve is to not mix in the lettuce, tomatoes, or chips, but to layer them on my plate...lettuce, taco mixture, tomatoes and then serve the chips on the side (kind of like my spoons).

Looking for more easy and delicious summer salads? Make sure to check out some of these great 12 ingredients (or less) salads from some of my favorite bloggers:

• Grilled Chicken Summer Berry Salad from Big Bear’s Wife
• Ultimate Green Salad from Betsylife
• Summer Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Honey Syrup from Home Cooking Memories
• Greek Salad from Cooking on the Front Burners
• BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad from Love Bakes Good Cakes
• Southwestern Pasta Salad from A Million Moments
• Apple Chicken and Feta Salad from Bread, Booze, Bacon
• Tortellini Pasta Salad from A Night Owl Blog
• Easy Cucumber & Onion Salad from Pink Cake Plate
• Easy Chicken Salad from {i love} My Disorganized Life
• Monkey Salad from See Vanessa Craft
• Tex Mex Taco Salad from Around My Family Table

Originally published: Nov 5, 2010