Taco Pasta Salad

Name: Taco Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings.
Cuisine: Mexican Recipes, Mexican Salad Recipes
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked spiral pasta; 1 pound ground beef; 1 envelope taco seasoning; 3 cups shredded lettuce; 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1/2 cup chopped green pepper; 1/2 cup Catalina salad dressing; Tortilla chips

My family loves this savory taco pasta salad. Serve taco or corn chips on the side, and you have a complete meal. —Gert Rosenau, Pewaukee, WI

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
3 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup Catalina salad dressing
Tortilla chips

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the taco seasoning; cool.
Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into meat mixture. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onion, green pepper and dressing; toss to coat. Serve with tortilla chips.

Test Kitchen Tips

Sharp cheddar cheese has been aged longer than regular cheddar. As cheese ages, its flavor becomes more pronounced. Using aged cheese in a recipe can add complexity and rich flavor, even to humble favorites like mac ’n’ cheese.

Using lean ground beef instead of beef that’s 80% lean saves 45 calories per 4-ounce serving of beef. Lean ground beef is also 29% lower in saturated fat.

Check out 30 other salads ready in 30 minutes or less.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 624 calories, 30g fat (12g saturated fat), 98mg cholesterol, 1454mg sodium, 55g carbohydrate (13g sugars, 3g fiber), 33g protein.

Reviews

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Average Rating:

MarineMom_texas

Aug 6, 2019

We had this delicious recipe tonight and it was an instant winner. So quick, easy, and yummy. We cleaned our plates. I made no changes to the recipe. Volunteer Field Editor
dig1

Mar 31, 2017

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HECUP

Sep 5, 2015

I made this & didn't care 4 it. didn't like the tomatoes & the Dressing in it. I'll make it again by taking the tomatoes out & change the Dressing to Dorothy Lynch & adding the Nacho Doritos & adding red kidney beans.
Not_Spacy

Jul 31, 2015

Recipe doesn't mention water, but you need to prepare the meat per the taco seasoning packet with water. My 6 year old daughter who is just starting to eat salads really liked it. I may try a different dressing next time.
VictoriaElaine

Jul 10, 2015

Overall very good & easy to make. I substituted penne pasta for the spirals as that's what I had on hand.
ferryal

Jun 30, 2014

Fantastic salad for the hot Summer days or Mexican themed get togethers! Since have dietary restrictions, used ground Turkey, omitted the cheese, chips and used light Thousand Island dressing. Did not have spiral pasta, so used Rigatoni! This is a keeper in my recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
voodoowitch

Jul 29, 2013

I used Spicy Ranch instead of the Catalina dressing. I cannot stand for meat to have a sweet flavor.
katlaydee3

Mar 31, 2013

This is delicious! I made two minor changes and used red onions instead of regular and nacho Doritos in place of plain tortilla chips.
justmbeth

Jun 30, 2012

Loved it! Didn't think the dressing was too sweet at all.
gah10

Mar 19, 2012

This recipe was very good and super easy. My husband ask that I not lose this recipe. So I will definitely be making this dish again.