Taco Pasta Salad
Servings 16 people
Taco Pasta Salad with Doritos puts a zesty twist on regular pasta salad! Made with Mexican spices, ground beef, and fresh veggies, it’s tossed in creamy chipotle dressing and topped with cheesy tortilla chips!
Ingredients
- 1 lb spiral pasta like cavatappi or rotini
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 8 ounces Habanero Cheddar cheese or other cheddar cheese cubed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro minced
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced and optional
- 16 ounces Southwest Chipotle Dressing see notes
- 4 cups Spicy or Nacho Doritos lightly crushed
- 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente, drain and add to a large bowl.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through, drain excess oil. Add the ground beef to the pasta. I recommend prepping your cheese and veggies while your pasta and beef cook.
- Stir in the taco seasonings and mix with the beef and pasta until evenly coated.
- Add in the cheese, pepper, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, black beans, lime juice, and jalapeno pepper (if using) and toss to combine.
- Add in the dressing and toss to coat the salad evenly. I recommend making the pasta salad at least 2 hours before you want to serve it and chilling it the fridge so the flavor can build.
- Add the shredded lettuce and crushed Doritos as close to serving as possible so they don't get soggy.
Notes
- I used Hidden Valley brand Southwest Chipotle dressing if you can't find it or another brand, you can also use Creamy French or Thousand Island as well.
- Pasta Salad will keep for about 5 days in the fridge, just notes that lettuce and Doritos will get soggy after a couple of hours. You can serve them on the side for freshness if desired.
- Ground turkey could also be used instead of beef.
Nutrition
Calories: 680kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 423mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 16.4mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/taco-pasta-salad/