PREP TIME: 10 MINS | COOK TIME: 30 MINS | TOTAL TIME: 40 MINS | SERVINGS: 16
Summer will never be over with this Taco Pasta Salad. It’s a delicious salad made with Mexican flavors, seasoned ground beef, crunchy nacho cheese chips, and a delightful creamy dressing! It’s my favorite for potlucks, BBQs, and picnics.
For this recipe, I bought a bag of already shredded lettuce to make life easier. You can also make this salad in advance. Prep everything except for the dressing and chips. So the pasta salad stays extra crunchy, mix the dressing into the salad right before serving and top with the crushed chips.
This taco pasta salad is packed with impressive flavors. A fun twist is using pasta noodles instead of taco shells. The dressing is super amazing as it binds everything. It adds sweetness and creaminess to the salad. If you want to make a vegetarian salad, simply swap the ground beef with some black beans or kidney beans for more protein!
Ingredients
1 pound of ground beef
16 ounces rotini pasta (or other medium-sized noodles)
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 c. diced green bell pepper
4 c. shredded lettuce
2-3 c. Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
15 ounces French Dressing
1.5 c. chopped tomatoes
chopped cilantro (optional)
3 c. slightly crushed nacho cheese or tortilla chips
How to make Taco Pasta Salad
Step 1: Following the package directions, cook the rotini noodles in a large pot of boiling water. Drain when done and rinse in cold water.
Step 2: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain the excess grease. Then, add the taco seasoning and mix well.
Step 3: Place the pasta, ground beef, tomatoes, bell pepper, cheese, and lettuce in a large bowl. Next, pour over the French Dressing. Toss well, then cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Step 4: When serving, top the salad with some crushed chips. If desired, garnish with some chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 470 kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 649mg, Potassium: 359mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 411IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 186mg, Iron: 2mg
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 16 ounces rotini pasta (or other medium-sized noodles)
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 c. diced green bell pepper
- 4 c. shredded lettuce
- 2-3 c. Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
- 15 ounces French Dressing
- 1.5 c. chopped tomatoes
- chopped cilantro (optional)
- 3 c. slightly crushed nacho cheese or tortilla chips
Instructions
Step 1: Following the package directions, cook the rotini noodles in a large pot of boiling water. Drain when done and rinse in cold water.
Step 2: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain the excess grease. Then, add the taco seasoning and mix well.
Step 3: Place the pasta, ground beef, tomatoes, bell pepper, cheese, and lettuce in a large bowl. Next, pour over the French Dressing. Toss well, then cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Step 4: When serving, top the salad with some crushed chips. If desired, garnish with some chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
