Pinterest Review: Doritos Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing

Back in 2010 I went with Jeff to his family reunion in Iowa.  It's kinda hard to take food to a potluck that's 4+ hours drive away, but we did it.  Jeff made Doritos Taco Salad.

When we had a potluck to go to in early June, I thought of this salad as a good contribution.  So often people take either chips or desert to a potluck, so I wanted to bring something else, something unique.

Doritos Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing

1 poundGround beef

1 headIceberg lettuce; cleaned & torn into bite-sized pieces

1 packetTaco seasoning

1 mediumTomato; Diced

1 (12 oz) bagDoritos

1 bottleCatalina dressing

1 1/2 cupsCheddar cheese; shredded

Doritos Taco Salad Preparation

1. Brown ground beef; drain fat. Toss with dry taco seasoning, and set aside until cool.

2. In a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Right before serving, add the beef, Doritos, and dressing. Mix well.

The best part of this recipe is that you don't necessarily have to measure.  For example, I cut up an onion and cooked it in the meat mixture because it extended the meat and added more veggies.  I used a big ol' bag of lettuce because I knew I would be pressed for time, and I cut cherry tomatoes in half, again, because of time.  It the party, I eyeballed the amount of dressing to use,

The day before the party, I made the meat, let it cool, and put it in the fridge.  The day of the party, I put the salad together when I got home, and crunched the chips up in their bag.  I then heated the meat back up a big (to take the cold edge off), and right before we left, I put it on the top of the salad.  Once we got to the party, I added the dressing and the chips, mixed it up, and set it out. 

When we got to the party, one of the guys asked what it was (he already had a big plate of food), and when we said Doritos Taco Salad, he turned around and followed us back into the kitchen!  Apparently the teens that where there said that they really like it, and there was barely enough at the end of the night for Jeff to get a serving as he cleaned out the container. 

Verdict:  It was a hit!