Best Ever Taco Pasta Salad (Easy 25-Minute Recipe)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
- 1 pound lean ground beef, I use 88% lean
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 ounces medium cheddar cheese, cubed
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup Catalina dressing, more for serving
- 2 cups crushed nacho cheese Doritos
- 2 avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and run cold water over pasta. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat in a skillet until browned. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is evenly seasoned. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooled rotini, cooled taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, bell pepper, ad black olives.
- Pour the dressing over salad and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Just before serving, add crushed chips and diced avocado and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
- The salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (the chips will become soft.)
Donna's Notes
- The Catalina dressing is much stronger than when you’re mixing a pasta salad with a vinaigrette or Italian dressing - you will not need as much. However, it will absorb into the pasta so if you toss with the dressing and do not serve the salad until later, you may want to have extra dressing on hand at serving time. French dressing can be substituted for the Catalina.
- The quantities of the different vegetables, herbs, and cheese can be adjusted to taste.
- Be sure to cool the pasta and the meat completely before mixing into the salad. You can make these in advance and chill in the refrigerator - be sure to rinse the pasta well in cold water before chilling in the refrigerator so that it doesn’t stick together.
- A full pound of taco meat isn’t needed - 1/2 or 3/4 of a pound will do just fine in this recipe - it can be a great way to use up leftover taco meat without needing a full pound. You can also swap in your other favorite taco meats like ground turkey, carnitas, grilled chicken, etc.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 613cal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 1348mg | Sugar: 13g | Fiber: 8g | Calcium: 234mg | Iron: 3mg
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe's nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.