Takis Taco Salad is a bowl of everything you love about tacos. Ranch dressing is the perfect match for the spicy heat of the chips.
Takis rolled tortilla chips are so popular but, boy, they’re hot! I wanted to try them, but could manage only about five before defeat. Mixed in with taco salad, though, you can spread around the heat and still enjoy the flavor.
Ingredients
The primary ingredient for this Takis Taco Salad is, of course, the Takis tortilla chips. They are just as flavorful as everyone says but, wow, they’re SPICY!
That’s the whole reason I developed this recipe. I wanted to spread around the spicy heat so it wasn’t so overwhelming.
I didn’t use many ingredients for the actual taco salad. It’s kind of based on the famous Doritos taco salad. I’m sure you’ve had some version of it at some point. This one has my own little twists.
Everything you usually find in tacos, like onion, tomatoes, bell pepper and cheese. I threw in some black olives as well.
I used Ranch dressing to bind everything together. If you like, you can add about ¼ cup milk to make the dressing thinner. This makes it easier to use as a topping as well.
What are Takis?
Takis are made in Mexico and distributed through the Barcel company. Imagine round tortilla chips, rolled into a tube and seasoned with intensely spicy heat.
At the time of writing this post, there were five flavors available. I’ve used the Fuego flavor in this recipe. It’s described as tasting like “a bite of lava.” ha! Definitely a good reason for me to spread it around a bit, in a salad.
The other flavors are Blue Heat, Crunchy Fajitas, Nitro and Guacamole. Yum! I can’t wait to try the Guacamole flavor.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
I first told you that there were only a few ingredients and I meant it. Except…. if you want to make your own taco seasoning.
I like to take the add-everything-you’ve-got approach when making taco seasoning.
If you like chipotle, add some chipotle powder. Or, add some cayenne. Maybe you want to add more crushed red pepper. You can easily customize it to your specific tastes and heat level.
To do more research on the spice levels of different chiles or peppers, take a look at my Scoville Heat Scale.
If you want to pick up one of those little ready-made packets of taco seasonings, that’s completely okay! I’ll never tell.
Making Taco Salad for Later
If you want to take this salad to any kind of gathering, I suggest that you make everything then bring it in separate containers. Toss it once you are ready to serve.
You’ll need separate containers for each. 1) ground beef, 2) lettuce and vegetables 3) cheese 4) dressing and 5) Takis.
Taco Salad Serving Bar
It would be so easy to make a salad serving bar. How fun!
Place a bit of lettuce on plates and bowls. Prepare separate bowls for all your favorite toppings, including the Takis.
Your guests can serve themselves with everything they love. This would be a HUGE hit at a teenager birthday party. Trust me.
I like to add a little bit of milk to the dressing to make it easier to make a topping.
Don’t forget to use the Takis crumbs in the bag. You can sprinkle them on top.
Avocado slices would be a perfect accompaniment as well.
You know what would be perfect at the party too? This incredible Coconut Tres Leches Cake. It’s just the thing to cool off that Takis chips heat.
Recipe
Spicy Takis Taco Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Taco Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano
Taco Salad
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ½ cup Water
- 2 Romaine Lettuce Romaine Lettuce Hearts, chopped
- 3 Roma Tomatoes chopped
- ½ Onion chopped
- ½ Bell Pepper chopped
- 3 ounces Black Olives whole or sliced
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Ranch Dressing
- 4 ounces Takis Rolled Tortilla Chips slightly broken into smaller pieces (don't discard the crumbs)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all taco seasoning ingredients together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef and water. Use your hands, if possible. Mix the water in well.
- Place ground beef mixture in a medium skillet and cook, while stirring and breaking apart, if necessary. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain off the fat. Since this is a cold salad, if you don't want any solid fat on the ground beef, place it in a strainer and run water over it to remove as much fat as possible.
- Mix in all of the seasoning mix into the cooked ground beef and return to skillet to heat through. Set aside. (If you don't want this to hit the lettuce and wilting it too quickly, you can put the ground beef in the refrigerator to chill a bit before adding.)
- Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and bell pepper and place in large bowl.
- Add all remaining ingredients (including ground beef) to the large bowl and toss. (If not serving immediately, see notes.)
Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result. 2019-2026 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved. 24Bite®
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