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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Doritos Cool Ranch Taco Salad

Cool Ranch Doritos Taco Salad

Published: Feb 8, 2022 · Modified: Sep 9, 2022 by Lynda · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Cool Ranch Doritos Taco Salad is so simple to make and will be loved by even the pickiest eaters. It combines the great flavors of taco salad with deliciously spicy Cool Ranch Doritos in one tasty salad entree.

All you need are some common ingredients that might already be in your kitchen: a bowl, tortilla chips, taco seasoning mix, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and Cool Ranch Doritos!

It’s an easy recipe for lunch or dinner. Get ready to have your taste buds sing!

Bowl of Cool Ranch Doritos Taco Salad.

The inspiration behind this salad is the Doritos Los Taco. You know, the one that makes you go, “Wow!”

Let’s take a look at how to make this easy salad that has lots of flavor and is perfect for a weeknight meal.

How To Make Cool Ranch Doritos Taco Salad

For this tasty taco salad recipe, you need the following: 

INGREDIENTS FOR TACO SALAD

  • a pound lean ground beef
  • taco seasoning
  • Cool Ranch Doritos
  • lettuce mixture
  • tomatoes diced (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half)
  • shredded cheese
  • cucumber
  • black olives
  • Ranch Dressing
Bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.

It’s a really easy salad to make. Really. (I think I might have mentioned that a time or two already.)

Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. For best results, drain cooked ground beef on a paper towel to drain the grease. Place the cooked beef back in the pan and add the taco seasoning (follow the directions on the packet).

Once the beef mixture has cooked, set it aside.

Assembling the Salad

Place a layer of crushed Cool Ranch Doritos on a plate. (You can use a baked tortilla bowl, but I don’t recommend it.)

Crushing Doritos for yummy taco salad.

You can either crush the chips directly on the plate or you can crush them in the bag.

Crushed Cool Ranch Doritos.

Next, the following ingredients top the chips:

  • lettuce
  • chopped cucumbers
  • shredded cheese
  • seasoned ground beef
  • cherry tomatoes
  • olives
  • Ranch dressing

Recipe Notes

Make this salad your own. Top it with your favorite toppings. Below are some items that go well with this salad:

  • pinto beans or black beans (simply drain them and add them to the salad)
  • chili beans
  • avocado
  • chopped cilantro
  • restaurant style salsa
  • lime wedges

Substitutions and Variations

Lettuce – Shredded lettuce, pre-cut Romaine lettuce, chopped iceberg lettuce, or a prepackage blend of lettuces work well.

Cheese – Use your favorite cheese. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mexican cheese blend, and Cheddar cheese are good options.

Taco Seasoning – You can make your own homemade taco seasoning by combining chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Salad Dressing – While Ranch dressing is the default for this recipe, Avocado-Lime Dressing or Jalapeno Ranch are also good options.

Ground beef – You can replace the beef with ground chicken or ground turkey.

FAQ

Can I make this salad in advance?

Yes and no. You can prep all of the items and store them in the refrigerator separately. When you are ready to make the salad, reheat the meat in the microwave until it is warm throughout. Then you can assemble the salad. You don’t want to store the warm meat with the cool ingredients.

Doritos Taco Salad

Tossed Cool Ranch Taco Salad

Doritos Cool Ranch Taco Salad is the love child of a tasty taco salad combined Cool Ranch Doritos. It is an amazing salad that even picky eaters love.
4.25 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 638kcal
Author: Lynda

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • 1 Cool Ranch Doritos
  • 1 8 oz. package shredded lettuce
  • 1-2 to matoes diced (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half)
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 cucumber peeled, sliced, and cut into quarters
  • 1 small can of sliced black olives
  • Ranch Dressing

Instructions

  • Brown ground beef in skillet until thoroughly cooked. Add taco seasoning and cook according to directions on package. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Hold bag of Doritos in both hands and crush chips.
  • Place small layer of chips on plate. Next, add shredded lettuce.  Top with ground beef, tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers, and olives.
  • Drizzle with Ranch dressing.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 694mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g
Tried this Recipe? Share it Today!Mention @SouthernKissedBlog or tag #southernkissed!

I like to add one more layer of crunch by adding a few more crushed Doritos to the top after I have drizzled Ranch dressing on top.

Close up of Doritos Taco Salad.

Love Salads?

Be sure to check out these other delicious salad recipes:

  • Spicy Roasted Corn, Chicken, and Avocado Salad – This salad is a refreshing, unique way to use fresh corn.
  • Low Carb Italian Salad – This salad is perfect when you want to eat your veggies and still keep your carb intake on the low side.
  • Wendy’s Southwest Avocado Salad – No, this isn’t a recipe for how to make Wendy’s delicious salad. However, it’s great for those times when you just don’t want to “cook” anything.
  • Zaxby’s Salads – Zaxby’s also has delicious salads – have you tried any?

Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How Your Taco Salad Turned Out!

More Main Dishes - The Star Attraction

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  • Southern Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Brittney says

    May 21, 2018 at 3:55 pm

    4 stars
    Making This Tonight;)

    Reply
  2. Ty @ Mama of 3 Munchkins says

    April 22, 2013 at 12:42 am

    This looks very yummy!

    Reply
  3. Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says

    April 21, 2013 at 10:57 pm

    That looks SOOO good.

    Reply
  4. Sheri says

    April 21, 2013 at 9:31 pm

    I love Taco Salad! This looks delicious.

    Reply
  5. Elaina- @atimeout4mommy says

    April 21, 2013 at 7:19 am

    It’s almost 8:30 am and you have me drooling

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    April 20, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    Yum!!

    Reply
  7. Stefani says

    April 20, 2013 at 12:26 am

    I don’t normally like taco salad but yours looks delicious.

    Reply
  8. Leilani says

    April 19, 2013 at 11:45 pm

    This looks yummy!

    Reply
  9. Marcie W. says

    April 19, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    Way a great way to spice up a salad.

    Reply
  10. Angela@AboutAMom says

    April 19, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    My family always enjoys a taco salad, yum!

    Reply
  11. Donna says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    We love tacos and my hubby loves for me to make them… so this will be made in my home soon! 🙂

    Reply
  12. courtney says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    I absolutely love tacos!

    Reply
  13. Anne - Mommy Has to Work says

    April 19, 2013 at 11:47 am

    Yumm! I could totally eat that!

    Reply
  14. Theresa says

    April 18, 2013 at 11:23 pm

    This looks so good.

    Reply
  15. patti says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:34 pm

    We used to make it with Fritos

    Reply
  16. Katy says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    We love taco salad. I actually made it the night I went into labor with Bella. I think about that every time I have one.

    Reply
  17. Kathleen says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:37 pm

    I am usually not a salad lover, but that is one salad I could definitely get into.

    Reply
  18. Andy Grant says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    One word: Yum!

    Reply
  19. Mellisa says

    April 18, 2013 at 7:38 pm

    All you had to say was Cool Ranch! yum 🙂

    Reply
  20. Jennifer @TheRebelChick says

    April 18, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    That looks delicious!

    Reply
  21. Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com says

    April 18, 2013 at 12:17 pm

    Yum, that looks tasty.

    Reply
  22. Maryann says

    April 18, 2013 at 11:31 am

    we used to make something similar to this.

    Reply
  23. Penelope (NYC Blogger) says

    April 18, 2013 at 11:22 am

    Ooh, yummy, I want this for lunch!

    Reply

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Lynda and Johnny statue

My name is Lynda and I am a recovering sugar addict and travel junkie. I'm also a mom of two children & 2 dogs, wife of 1....and a messy cook taking life one bite at a time.

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