Taco Salad ~ Perfect for Summer

On the menu tonight........ Taco Salad!!! Serve this salad on a hot day for a perfect summer meal minus the stove. I don't know about you but when I hear Taco Salad, my sister Barb's recipe is the one that comes to mind. The first time I had this salad was about 20 years ago. I lived with my oldest sister and she made her famous Taco Salad recipe. I had never had it prepared this way, but I was instantly hooked. This recipe contains traditional ingredients such as lettuce, tomatoes, kidney beans, ground beef, cheese, black olives and tortilla chips.

But this salad has a twist with a different non traditional ingredient "French Dressing". When I heard that she added french dressing, the first thought that I had was no way!!! I don't think I am going to like this, well I gave it a try and fell in love. Now this is the only way I will eat Taco Salad. So thanks sissy this one is definitely a keeper. I cant believe it's been so long since I tasted this for the first time, Oh how time flies by. You can adjust the amount of dressing added at the end. I prefer not to add the whole bottle, but everyone is different. Just taste the salad as you add the dressing and find you own personal preference. Now lets get started on the recipe.

Brown ground beef and drain any grease. Add taco seasoning packet and prepare according to package directions. When the ground beef mixture is cooked, set aside to cool. While the meat is cooling chop up you veggies. Cut up the lettuce and tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Add the black olives and the cooled meat mixture, drained and rinsed kidney beans, cheese and tortilla chips.

I break my chips up just a bit and I don't add all of the chips to the salad or they will get soggy. Finally add the French Dressing and toss together. At this point you can taste the salad and see how much dressing you would like. You can add anywhere from 1/2 of the bottle or you can add the whole thing its really your own preference.

With the big tomato scare and the FDA saying we cannot eat some of the tomatoes (Red Romas or Round Red Tomatoes) due to the Salmonella scare. Taco salad just wouldn't be taco salad without tomatoes!!!! but no worries. I am so glad I don't have to go out and actually buy tomatoes, I am so lucky that we grow our own tomatoes so we have plenty every year. So be careful when purchasing your tomatoes. Always wash them first before adding to any dish but that's just common sense.

Add Salad to a large serving bowl and dig in. If you want more chips you can add them to each bowl. This is really the best Taco Salad I have ever had.



Taco Salad

1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained
1 - (16 oz) can bush's light or dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
2 - tomatoes, cut into pieces
1/4 - 1/2 - large head lettuce, cut into pieces
1 - packet taco seasoning mix
(prepared according to package directions)
1 - (4.5 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
1 - (8 oz) package shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 of bag tortilla chips (Tostitos, Doritos Corn, or Mission, etc)
1/2 - 1 - (8oz) bottle Creamy French or Catalina Salad Dressing

Brown ground beef and drain any grease. Add taco seasoning packet and prepare according to package directions. When the ground beef mixture is cooked, set aside to cool. While the meat is cooling chop up you veggies. Cut up the lettuce and tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Add the black olives and the cooled meat mixture, drained and rinsed kidney beans, cheese and tortilla chips.I break my chips up just a bit and I don't add all of the chips to the salad or they will get soggy. Finally add the French Dressing and toss together. At this point you can taste the salad and see how much dressing you would like. You can add anywhere from 1/2 of the bottle or you can add the whole thing its really your own preference. Add Salad to a large serving bowl and serve. This salad is best served immediately.

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Tina, The Mom in Mommy's Kitchen

Disclosure: I’m excited that I’ve entered into a paid, formal partnership with Bush’s Beans and the post above represents part of that agreement.