There are taco salads. And then there is this recipe for corn chip taco salad that has all the great taco salad ingredients and a corn chip crunch!
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why we love this recipe
Okay, I love love love this taco salad, and here’s why. Not because it is ridiculously easy to make (and it is).
Not because it tastes ridiculously good (and it does). It’s because — unlike 99.9% of most taco salads — the crunchy part of the taco salad is actually worth eating.
And by that I mean this: usually you order a taco salad and it comes in a giant tortilla “bowl.” You say to yourself, Self, I’m just going to eat the salad part, and you work through all that good stuff in the bowl.
Pretty soon your taco salad is gone and the only thing left standing is the tortilla bowl.
So you break off a piece of the side of it, and honestly? It’s not that good. It’s okay….but it’s kind of bland and not that tasty…but it’s there on your plate, and pretty soon you have picked off most of the sides of it.
And so your awesome taco salad has ended with a whimper.
But in THIS taco salad, my friends, your favorite corn chips take the place of that tortilla bowl. They are added to the salad at the very end and tossed right into the salad along with everything else.
So every other bite contains a hit of salty corn chip wonderfulness along with all the other taco salad taste sensations.
ingredients you need for this recipe
ingredient notes and substitutions
- Taco Seasoning: You can find this in the International Foods section of your supermarket…or in about five minutes you can make your own with this super easy taco seasoning recipe!
- Corn Chips: Ideally Fritos, but any corn chips will work!Get the regular small ones – the scoop kind are a little big for this salad. But if that’s all you can find, just crunch them up a little before adding them.
- Avocado: These are notorious for being super hard when you buy them (you can find them in the produce section of your supermarket) so I always try and get mine a few days ahead to give it time to soften up. You can also swap out the avocado for guacamole, either the already prepared kind, or you can make your own – here’s my favorite guacamole recipe!
here’s how to make this recipe
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP ONE: First we make the taco meat! Cook a pound of ground beef with a packet of taco seasoning, according to taco seasoning mix directions…or even better, make your own taco seasoning – it takes five minutes and has zero ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
STEP TWO: Combine the cooked meat, one head of chopped iceberg lettuce, 3 chopped tomatoes (or if you aren’t in tomato season, you might want to use a couple cups of halved cherry tomatoes – they taste good all year!) and 2 peeled and chopped avocados in large mixing bowl. The taco flavoring in the meat juices will serve as the “dressing” for the salad.
Add 2 cups of your favorite corn chips (the original sized Fritos work great for this) and toss again. And…you’re done!
recipe FAQ
You can, however corn chips are a little thicker and will stand up better to the other ingredients and the tossing. But tortilla chips will still work! If you have big ones, you will want to crumble them a little into bite sized pieces.
The age old mystery! It should give a little (but not feel mushy) when you press on it, and if you pick the short brown stem off it should be green underneath.
You can prep all the ingredients ahead of time, but wait to toss them all together until right before you serve so things don’t get soggy.
Ha! The great thing about this recipe is that as long as you have the meat cooked with the taco spices, the lettuce and the corn chips. After that, you can get as creative as you want. SOME people in my house don’t like avocado, so I pass that around separately. You can add corn, chopped peppers, cooked beans…you be you!
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
want to round out your meal?
Well, you KNOW we need a margarita with this supper...this recipe for a strawberry basil margarita is my all time fave.
And if you want to swap out the avocado for some guacamole (or have avocado AND guacamole) I love this easy recipe for horseradish guacamole.
And after all that spicy deliciousness, let’s cool down with this recipe for peanut butter pretzel ice cream cake!
other taco recipes we love
could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
PrintFrito Taco Salad
There are taco salads. And then there is this recipe for corn chip taco salad that has all the great taco salad ingredients and a corn chip crunch!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 one ounce packet taco seasoning mix
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 3 chopped tomatoes (or 2 cups halved/quartered cherry tomatoes)
- 2 peeled and chopped avocados
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 cups corn chips
Instructions
- Prepare taco meat with ground beef according to taco seasoning mix directions.
- Combine all ingredients except corn chips in large mixing bowl. The taco flavoring in the meat juices will serve as the “dressing” for the salad.
- Add corn chips and toss again.
- Throw caution to the wind and have seconds.
Notes
-
- Taco Seasoning: You can find this in the International Foods section of your supermarket…or in about five minutes you can make your own with this super easy taco seasoning recipe!
-
- Corn Chips: Get the regular small ones – the scoop kind are a little big for this salad. But if that’s all you can find, just crunch them up a little before adding them.
-
- Avocado: These are notorious for being super hard when you buy them (you can find them in the produce section of your supermarket) so I always try and get mine a few days ahead to give it time to soften up. You can also swap out the avocado for guacamole, either the already prepared kind, or you can make your own – here’s my favorite guacamole recipe!
Keywords: corn chip taco salad, easy taco salad recipe, kid friendly taco salad, gluten-free taco salad with chips
All Things Yummy says
Oh how I love taco salad. Especially with tons of tomatoes and smothered with hot salsa.
Laurie says
Your taco salad looks great! That is one of my daughter's favorite meals and would make a nice post turkey dinner. You have a very nice blog here.
Shel says
YUM! This sounds wonderful. Being a native Texan, I'm no stranger to Taco Salad. And though I usually use tortilla chips instead of a tortilla bowl, I haven't tried it with Fritos. I can see some experimenting in my future…
Michelle says
I use Doritos instead. It’s really good, especially as it adds the cheesy flavor along with crunch.
Michelle says
This is my exact taco salad except I usually add just a bit of ranch dressing. Yummy!!!
Kate Morgan Jackson says
ooh, ranch dressing — will need to give that a try!
Anonymous says
I make the same salad but call it "Girl Scout" Tacos and use Catalina dressing on it.
Kathleen says
Oh this sounds soooo good!
Lucy says
Could you add sour cream to this?
You definitely can!
Trish says
This is a family favorite! We use chili cheese fritos and sub in white corn & black beans for the tomato & avocado.
★★★★★
Chili cheese Fritos???? I didn’t know there was such an amazing thing in the world – I have to get me some! Love that you substituted the things that make it a family fave. :)