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This taco salad with Catalina dressing is my homemade take on the ’90s salad-bar classic – seasoned ground beef, crisp romaine, black beans, corn, and crushed tortilla chips, all tossed in that sweet-tangy red-orange dressing you remember. The Catalina here is made from scratch in about 5 minutes with pantry staples, and it blows the bottled stuff away. The whole salad comes together in about 20 minutes for a weeknight dinner or a summer potluck.
The ’90s Salad Bar Classic, Made From Scratch
As a ’90s kid, Catalina dressing was the superstar of every salad bar – right up there with my favorite easy copycat Taco Bell beef tacos. You know the one: sweet, tangy, that unmistakable red-orange color, basically French dressing’s louder cousin. I put it on EVERYTHING.
Soooo when I realized I could recreate that dressing at home in about 5 minutes? Game over. Tossed with seasoned beef, fresh veggies, and crunchy chips, it’s seriously addicting, and you’ll never buy the bottle again.
Enjoy this crispy taco salad alongside my creamy Mexican street corn pasta salad for a full Tex-Mex feast. And treat yourself to homemade paleo Mexican hot chocolate for dessert.
Jean’s Notes: When I first recreated this dressing at home, I was amazed how a simple blend of red wine vinegar, ketchup, and spices could bring back those nostalgic flavors. Technically it’s a blended vinaigrette, vinegar and oil emulsified with the ketchup and spices, which is why the slow oil drizzle matters.
This homemade version rivals any bottled dressing (and comes with the bragging rights of making it yourself)! If you’re wondering about the best bottled dressing for taco salad, Kraft Catalina is the classic, but the bottled version always leaned sweet, and when you make it yourself, you’re in charge of the sugar.
Ingredients Notes
Just a few notes on the ingredients that actually matter here. The full list with amounts is in the recipe card below.
- Romaine lettuce: the only lettuce I’d use here. It’s sturdy enough to handle warm beef and dressing without wilting, while tender greens like spinach turn sad fast. Iceberg works in a pinch.
- Taco seasoning: any pre-blended taco seasoning works, or use your own mix. The water and lime juice are what turn it into a saucy coating that actually sticks to the meat, so don’t skip those.
- Tortilla chips: thick, restaurant-style chips hold their crunch best. Crush them into bite-sized pieces, not dust. Crushed Doritos or Fritos also work in a pinch if you want the full retro potluck experience.
Catalina Dressing:
- Ketchup: yes, ketchup. It’s the tomato base and the thickener, and it’s most of what makes Catalina taste like Catalina. Nothing fancy, just regular ketchup.
- Sugar: taste before adding more than the recipe calls for. You can always add sugar, but you can’t take it back.
- Avocado oil: my go-to because it’s neutral and lets the dressing flavors shine, but any neutral-flavored oil works.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the protein: feeling adventurous? Try this salad with my authentic pollo asado instead of ground beef. Reader Amy swears by ranchero-style pinto beans here (extra protein!).
- Make it retro: use crushed Doritos or Fritos instead of tortilla chips for the full ’90s potluck version. This salad is naturally gluten-free as long as your tortilla chips and taco seasoning are (most are, but check the label), skip the Doritos swap if that matters for your table.
- Make it spicy: add sliced jalapeños on top. Fresh for crunch, pickled for tang, or a pinch of cayenne to the beef.
How to Make Catalina Taco Salad
Step 1: Make the dressing. In a food processor, combine vinegar, ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and onion powder. Process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil in a thin, steady stream until the dressing turns thick and glossy. Taste and adjust the sugar.
Step 2: Brown the beef. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Don’t stir constantly – letting it sit gives you those yummy browned bits.
Step 3: Season the beef. Stir in taco seasoning, water, and lime juice. Simmer for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the meat – it should look saucy, not soupy. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Assemble. In a large bowl, layer romaine, seasoned beef, beans, corn, tomato, avocado, olives, cheese, and crushed chips. Drizzle about half the Catalina dressing over the salad to start.
Step 5: Toss and serve. Toss gently to coat every ingredient, adding more dressing as needed. Divide into bowls and top with sour cream, jalapeños, and extra chips, if using.
Expert Tips
- Drizzle the oil in slowly. If you dump it all in at once, the dressing won’t come together and you’ll end up with oily vinegar sitting at the bottom of your bowl. A slow, steady stream gets you that thick, glossy dressing that clings to everything.
- Start with half the dressing. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back. Overdressed salad turns the chips to mush.
- Add the chips right before serving. Even sturdy chips go soggy after about 10 minutes in dressing. This is the secret to that crunchy-to-the-last-bite texture.
- Let the beef cool for a few minutes. Piping hot beef wilts the lettuce and browns the avocado. Just let it sit off the heat for 2 to 3 minutes while you prep everything else.
- Drain the beans and corn well. Extra liquid thins the dressing out and waters down the whole salad.
- Shred your own cheese if you can. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents, so block cheese clings to the salad better. Pre-shredded still works in a pinch, though (I won’t judge!).
Make-Ahead & Storage Tips
- Fridge: store components separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Greens in one container (lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture), toppings in another, chips in their bag. Once dressed, the salad is best the same day.
- Make ahead: the dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, which makes this great for meal prep lunches or a summer potluck. Just assemble and dress right before serving. It likes to separate and thicken up when it’s cold, so give it a good shake first, and whisk in a teaspoon of water if it needs loosening.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this one. The lettuce, tomato, and avocado all turn to mush.
Recipe FAQs
Romaine, hands-down! The firm ribs and crisp texture hold up under warm beef and dressing. Iceberg is another sturdy option, but delicate greens like spinach or butter lettuce wilt too fast.
The trick is drizzling the oil in slowly when you blend the dressing, so it thickens up and clings instead of sliding right off. Then dress the salad a little at a time and toss as you go so everything gets coated evenly.
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Crispy Taco Salad with Homemade Catalina Dressing
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 6 cups romaine lettuce
- 16 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed, or pinto beans
- 1½ cup frozen corn, defrosted, or drained canned corn
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, or shredded cheddar
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup tortilla chips, crushed, plus more for serving
- OPTIONAL: sour cream and/or jalapeños, for topping
Homemade Catalina Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup avocado oil, or any neutral-flavored oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the dressing, except avocado oil, in a food processor. Process to blend, then slowly pour in avocado oil until fully incorporated. Taste to add more sugar, if needed.1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup ketchup, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 cup avocado oil
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook stirring until browned while breaking up the meat, about 5 minutes.1 lb ground beef
- Add taco seasoning, water, and lime juice, simmer for about 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.2 tbsp taco seasoning, 1/4 cup water, 1 tbsp lime juice
- In a large bowl, add romaine lettuce, cooked beef, black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, black olives, and tortilla chips. Drizzle the dressing over everything.6 cups romaine lettuce, 16 oz can of black beans, 1½ cup frozen corn, 1 large tomato, 1 avocado, 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, 1/2 cup sliced black olives, 1 cup tortilla chips
- Toss everything together to coat. Divide into bowls, and serve with sour cream, jalapeños, and more tortilla chips, if using.OPTIONAL: sour cream and/or jalapeños
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great salad dressing recipe and I have always loved this salad. My girl friends and I even made it regularly in college. Thanks for sharing your recipe! I love the seasoned pinto beans like ranchero style to go in this one. Must have the raw yellow onions tossed in too!
Wow. I remember Catalina dressing from my childhood! It was super-sweet…which really doesn’t appeal to me now, but since I made the dressing I can fix that! So yeah, I made some adjustment, but this was really great. Different from a ‘normal’ taco salad; I appreciate that and give this 2 thumbs up.