It's at home on the appetizer table or as a casual dinner! This Taco Salad has loads of fresh, chopped veggies plus seasoned ground beef and a sweet-spicy flavor.
This dish has been a favorite of ours for a long time... a favorite of mine and my husband's that is. For some reason our kids don't like it, but that's fine by us. they can just have a bowl of cereal or something while we dig into this amazing taco salad.
We first discovered a version of this dish many, many years ago at a party where it was set out as a dip. After a few bites we pretty much spent the rest of the party parked at that bowl!
We dashed home to recreate it for ourselves, leaving out a few things we didn't want in there and adding others.
Why you'll love this taco salad
It's a hearty blend of fresh peppers, tomatoes, and corn plus seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese.
Catalina dressing may sound like an unlikely sauce for this salad, but trust me - it is so delicious in combination with the taco-spiced meat and the crisp veggies.
In our house we always have this taco salad as a light dinner, but it also makes a really delicious appetizer or game day snack.
🔪 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Prepare the veggies
Place the corn in a large bowl. Dice the tomatoes and peppers; add these to the bowl as well.
Step 2: Make the seasoned beef
Brown the ground beef in a skillet until it's cooked through. Drain the grease away, then stir in the spices and a little water. Cook the beef and seasonings for a few more minutes.
Step 3: Assemble the salad
Add the ground beef to the bowl with the veggies and stir them all together. Pour the Catalina dressing into the bowl, and stir to coat everything with the dressing. Finally sprinkle in the shredded cheese and stir this through. Serve the taco salad with plenty of tortilla chips!
The beef still warm from the pan combines so tantalizingly well with the crisp, fresh veggies.
Notes:
- When in season I like to use corn sliced right off the cob of freshly cooked ears. If this isn't available, use a good quality canned sweet corn instead.
- Any tomato variety can be used in this salad but I like Romas, because they have fewer seeds and thick walls. You get a lot of diced tomato with less mess! Romas are great to use in salsas, too.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to two days, but we like it best when it's freshly tossed together.
Feel free to put this out as an appetizer if you'd like, but if you enjoy it as much as we do you may decide you want to keep it all for yourself!
The Chopped Taco Salad recipe is below, and here are a few other corn and veggie recipes for you!
This recipe is featured in the collection, Delicioso Cinco de Mayo Party Food.
>> What do you think of this Taco Salad? Leave your comments and star ratings below.
Chopped Taco Salad with Peppers, Beef & Corn
Ingredients
- 3 ears sweet corn cooked and sliced from the cobs - about 2¼ cups of kernels (or an equivalent amount of canned sweet corn)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4½ ounces can diced green chiles
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup Catalina dressing (sometimes labeled as California French)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
Prepare the veggies:
- Put the corn kernels into a large bowl. Prep the tomatoes by slicing them in half, scooping out the seeds, and then dicing the tomatoes. Add the diced tomatoes to the bowl.
- Slice open the green and red bell peppers, remove the membranes and seeds, then dice the peppers. Add these to the bowl with the corn and tomatoes. Pour the green chiles (with the liquid) in as well, and stir all of the veggies together. Hold this aside while you cook the beef.
Cook the beef:
- Crumble the ground beef into a medium-sized skillet and brown it over medium heat. When all of the beef is browned, drain off the excess grease then add the spices to the pan: the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, black pepper and oregano, along with ½ cup of water.
- Stir the spices and water in with the beef and bring everything to a simmer. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
Assemble the salad:
- Spoon the beef and sauce into the bowl of veggies. Pour in the cup of Catalina dressing, and stir to combine the beef, veggies, and dressing. Sprinkle in the shredded Mexican-blend cheese and fold it into the salad.
- Serve the taco salad immediately with tortilla chips, portioning some into smaller bowls if you're having it for dinner like we do!
- Leftover salad can be stored in a covered container for up to 2 days. Makes about 10 cups.
Notes
- When in season I like to use corn sliced right off the cob of freshly cooked ears. If this isn't available, use a good quality canned sweet corn instead.
- Any tomato variety can be used in this salad but I like Romas, because they have fewer seeds and thick walls. You get a lot of diced tomato with less mess! Romas are great to use in salsas, too.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to two days, but we like it best when it's freshly tossed together.
Tell me what you think - comment below!