Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing (and Fritos) (2024)

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Catalina Frito salad is a delicious main dish with plenty of crunch!

Chopped iceberg lettuce tossed with fresh tomatoes, onions, hot chili beans — and plenty of sharp cheddar cheese — gets tossed with crunchy FRITOS® corn chips and tangy Catalina dressing. Add taco meat and this Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing is a hearty and filling meal!

The first time I had the pleasure of eating this tasty Catalina Frito Salad, I thought the combination of ingredients seemed a bit strange, but I found that they really work well together.

This salad takes less than 15 minutes to put together and makes enough to serve a crowd. Make it with taco-seasoned ground beef or leave the meat out entirely for a vegetarian option.

Catalina Taco Salad with FRITOS® corn chips and Catalina salad dressing is always a big hit at pot luck dinners and picnics!

My family loves it! I bet it will become your family’s favorite taco salads, too!

Key ingredients and substitutions for Frito Taco Salad recipe

• Lettuce — Iceberg lettuce is often used in chopped salads, but you can use a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce, or other salad greens, if you prefer. Keep in mind, the other ingredients are heavy and may weigh down more delicate greens.
• Tomatoes — Cherry or grape tomatoes are nice, or use your favorite variety — just be sure the tomatoes are bright red and ripe for the best flavor!
• Onion — Choose a sweet onion like Vidalia or slice a few scallions to add the onion flavor.

• Hot Chili Beans — If you’re not familiar with these, hot chili beans are simply canned red beans in a hot chili sauce. Can’t find them? Substitute a can of red kidney beans, black beans, or pinto beans instead.
• Cheese — Sharp cheddar is my preference, but you could certainly use a mild cheddar,, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese if you like.
• Frito Corn Chips — You’ll love the crunch! Mix it up and add nacho cheese Doritos (for a Dorito taco salad) or use a bag of tortilla chips (slightly crushed).

• Salad Dressing — I used a bottle of Kraft Catalina dressing for this recipe, but homemade Catalina dressing is super easy to make and delicious, too! French dressing is a close second, but if you’re not a fan of tangy salad dressings, a bottle of Ranch dressing will do just fine.
• Meat — Add lean ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken for more protein in this dish.
• Taco seasoning — Pick up a packet of your favorite brand or make a batch of this easy homemade taco seasoning with pantry spices.

How to make this Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing

Catalina Salad is best eaten immediately after it has been tossed together, so follow my tips if you plan to transport the salad to a picnic or potluck for assembling the salad on site.

STEP 1 | Rinse, spin, and chop

It’s important to dry the lettuce as much as possible. After you rinse the lettuce, chop it into bite size pieces and place in a salad spinner — remove as much water as you can.

Dice the tomatoes and onion, and add to the bowl with the chopped lettuce.

Next, empty the can of hot chili beans into a colander and rinse under cool running water. Again, drain off as much water as possible.

Use a box grater to shred the cheese and set aside in another bowl for now. I prefer grating my own cheese as the bags of shredded cheese are coated with powdery flour. Fresh is tastier!

STEP 2 | Cook the taco meat

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then swirl a tablespoon of canola oil in the bottom of the pan. Crumble a pound of lean ground beef into the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon. Continue cooking and stirring until the meat is no longer pink.

Then, sprinkle the taco seasoning mix and water over the meat and continue cooking according to the package directions. Keep the taco meat warm until you are ready to assemble the salad. If you are transporting to a picnic, a small Crock Pot should work.

STEP 3 | Toss and serve

When you’re ready to assemble the salad, add the lettuce, and veggies to a large salad bowl. Then, add the drained beans, corn chips, and cheese, and toss gently.

Top it off with the taco meat and pour over a cup of Catalina dressing — or as much as you like! Toss again until all ingredients are coated. Remember, if you do this step too early, the salad and chips will get soggy — yuck!

If you like, finish the salad by adding some a few grinds of fresh ground pepper on top and serve with a dollop of sour cream. Let’s eat!

Frequently asked questions

Serving suggestion

Having a party? Make this easy salad into Walking Tacos! Buy single serving bags of Frito chips. Toss the corn chips in the salad and toss it up. Then, refill the bags with the taco salad and grab a fork to eat it all right out of the bag.

You can do this with single serving bags of Doritos, too. How fun is that?

Catalina Frito Salad: behind the recipe

When our girls were little, we were members of a vibrant young couples church group and at least once a month we were gathering together for a picnic, pool party, or game night.

Everyone brought a pot-luck dish to share — there were plenty of good cooks in our group! As a result, I acquired a lot of tried and true crowd-pleasing recipes with this Frito Salad from Miss Donna being one of the best!

Armed with a big salad bowl, a large bag of FRITOS®, and a bottle of Kraft Catalina salad dressing, she would laugh and entertain everyone around with her jokes and antics as she tossed the fiesta salad “table-side” just before the meal was served.

This Catalina Salad recipe makes a big ‘ole bowl of salad which makes it perfect for large groups. I think Miss Donna would be proud that I’m sharing her recipe with all of you!

About Sheila Thigpen

Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer

Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author ofEasy Chicken CookbookandThe 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts.As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.