Description
Mexican-inspired taco pasta fiesta salad delivers a zesty celebration of flavors combining hearty pasta with classic taco ingredients. Colorful, fresh components blend together for a satisfying meal that brings excitement to your dinner table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
- 8 oz (226 g) rotini pasta, cooked al dente
- 2 tbsps taco seasoning
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 medium Roma tomato, finely diced
- ½ cup (74.5 g) red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup (80 g) yellow onion, diced
- 1 can (15.25 oz / 432 g) corn kernels, drained
- Diced iceberg lettuce, optional for garnish
- 2 cups (226 g) mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup (272 g) Catalina dressing
- 1 bag (9.25 oz / 262 g) Nacho Doritos, slightly crushed
Instructions
- Sizzle Beef: Render ground beef in a spacious skillet over medium heat until completely browned, eliminating all pink undertones and excess fat.
- Flavor Infusion: Massage taco seasoning into the meat, allowing the spices to meld and intensify while cooling the protein.
- Vegetable Symphony: Combine cooked pasta with a vibrant ensemble of jalapeños, tomatoes, corn kernels, red bell peppers, and onions in a generous mixing bowl, creating a colorful foundation.
- Beef Integration: Fold the seasoned ground beef into the pasta-vegetable mixture, ensuring an even distribution of ingredients and maximizing flavor harmony.
- Dressing Dynamics: Cascade Catalina dressing over the salad, gently tossing to create a glossy, unified coating that binds all components.
- Crunchy Finale: Crush Doritos into rustic fragments, strategically incorporating most into the salad while reserving a select few for a dramatic garnish.
- Presentation Perfection: Transfer the fiesta-inspired pasta salad to serving dishes, artfully topping with reserved Doritos chips and optional crisp lettuce for a refreshing textural contrast.
Notes
- Meat Preparation Tip: Brown beef completely to eliminate any pink color, ensuring food safety and optimal flavor development.
- Seasoning Strategy: Allow taco-seasoned beef to cool slightly, enabling spices to fully penetrate and intensify the meat’s taste profile.
- Crunch Preservation Technique: Add crushed Doritos just before serving to maintain maximum crispness and prevent soggy texture.
- Dressing Coating Method: Gently fold Catalina dressing to evenly distribute flavor without breaking delicate pasta or vegetable components.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg