This 7-Layer Salad has simple and readily available vegetables with a homemade taco ranch dressing, making it a perfectly easy way to grab and go with a gorgeous presentation.
Why you will love Meatless Taco Salad.
Perfect for Parties – Layered salads have always been a “thing” for parties.
If you have a trifle dish, seeing the gorgeous peeking green lettuce, red tomatoes, and orange shredded cheese is a beautiful display.
Quick & Easy without Sacrificing Taste – You’ll love taco salad because it is a delicious, easy-to-make, flavorful meal. It’s a great way to use up leftover ingredients and can be customized to fit your tastes.
Absolutely perfect for weeknight meals, this well loved dish is just as great to take on picnics, potlucks and game day parties.
Simple Ingredients
- shredded lettuce
- corn
- black beans
- Roma tomatoes
- cheddar cheese
- black olives
- onions
- ranch dressing
- a packet of taco seasoning
Gourmet Layer Suggestions for Taco Salad
Use Mexican Street Corn Salsa instead of plain corn, pico de gallo in exchange for tomatoes, and Black Bean and Corn Salsa in exchange for your bean layer!
Homemade Ranch Taco Salad Dressing
Before you get started on your salad, pre-make your dressing. It needs to sit in the fridge before serving, so this can also be made a day ahead if you prefer.
I serve this dressing along side the salad as I have an affinity for soggy food and like things fresh, but you could most certainly double this recipe and use it in between layers for built in flavors.
Make extra as a topping!
- 1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
- One tablespoon of pre-bought or homemade taco seasoning
Shopping Tip: I keep the Kraft Ranch Dry Seasoning can on hand and can make dressing any time I want that tastes homemade. It also is great for taco seasonings and soup.
You can find it in the seasonings aisle, which lasts for several months.
How to make a Taco Salad.
- Mix ranch dressing and taco seasoning mix in a mixing bowl.
- Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.
- Layer each item into a large trifle bowl, beginning with the lettuce and ending with the green onions.
- When you reach the cheese layer, place it in the center of the bowl and sprinkle the top with olives and green onions.
- Serve taco salad immediately or refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
- Great toppings include additional seasoned ranch dressing, guacamole, and a dollop of sour cream.
- Use Tongs to serve!
What Mexican ingredients go well in a Layered Taco Salad?
Try red, yellow, or green peppers, chilis, jalapeno peppers, and ripe avocado, changing the beans to re-fried or pinto, multi layers of cheeses like mozzarella and pepper jack, or skipping diced tomatoes for a favorite salsa!
Once you get into the groove of a layered salad, the rest is easy. Other great choices are the following common Mexican ingredients:
- Shredded chicken or taco meat (lean ground beef)
- Black beans, Pinto Beans, or Refried Beans
- Sweet Corn Kernels
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Shredded cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Lettuce
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Onions
- Fresh Cilantro
- Taco Dip
- Fresh Lime juice
- Hot sauce
What to do with leftover taco salad?
Make a taco salad wrap by adding the taco salad ingredients and some salsa to a wrap or burrito-sized tortilla and rolling it up.
Turn the taco salad into nachos by adding the ingredients to a sheet pan and baking them until the cheese is melted.
Make taco salad bowls by placing the ingredients in individual bowls and topping them with crushed tortilla chips.
Add the delicious salad ingredients to a quesadilla and grill until the cheese is melted.
Stuff the taco salad ingredients into a baked potato.
What type of chips goes well in a taco salad?
- Tortilla chips
- Doritos
- Crispy Tortilla Strips
- Fritos
- Nacho-flavored chips
- Taco-flavored chips
Can you prepare a taco salad ahead?
Yes, you can prepare taco salad ahead of time.
Prepare the ingredients as instructed and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. When ready to serve on family taco night, toss all the ingredients together and enjoy.
What dressing goes well with taco salad?
We love Taco Tuesday with our custom dressing, but if you are short on time, here are other popular store-bought dressings.
- Creamy avocado dressing
- Cilantro lime dressing
- Chipotle ranch dressing
- Smother with melty Queso Dip
- Thousand Island dressing
- Catalina dressing
- Ranch Dip
Related Mexican Recipes
Salsa Chicken: Salsa Chicken is a popular Mexican dish consisting of chicken, cheese, and your best salsa sauce. You can level up this chicken breast dinner with peppers, onions, and other spices and serve it alongside rice and beans.
Chicken Enchilada Dip: Chicken Enchilada Dip is a flavorful, creamy, and cheesy appetizer made with shredded chicken. It is often served with tortilla chips and is a popular party dish.
Chili Cheese Dip: Chili Dip is a hearty and delicious dip made with chili, Rotel, and cream cheese. It is usually served with corn chips and can be topped with sour cream, diced onions, and jalapenos.
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Layered Taco Salad with Ranch Taco Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 package 8 oz, shredded lettuce
- 2 cans corn drained or 1 large package frozen corn, thawed
- 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 5 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 small can 2.25oz, sliced black olives, drained
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
To Make Salad Dressing:
- Mix ranch dressing and taco seasoning together.
- Set aside for flavors to mingle.
- Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.
To Make Salad:
- Layer each item into a large trifle bowl beginning with the lettuce and ending with the green onions.
- When you reach the cheese layer, place in the center of the bowl and sprinkle with olives and green onions.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
- Serve along side taco dressing.
Nutritional information is an automated estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator or app.
Nutrition
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