Taco Pasta Salad + Instant Pot Taco Pasta Salad
If you are looking for a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for a potluck, backyard BBQ or family gathering you will love this Taco Pasta Salad with Doritos. It’s easy to double this recipe or make half a batch if you are just craving some Mexican-flavored goodness.
Post includes Weight Watchers points.
It’s the time of year for lots of gatherings. If you want to bring the dish that everyone will be talking about, then you need to make this Taco Pasta Salad recipe. Summer is the time for salads, and everyone will love this one. We’re talking tacos meet pasta salad for a delicious dish that is full of flavor.
Get ready to serve this Taco Pasta Salad with Doritos at all your backyard BBQs, bring it to potlucks, and pack it on picnics. This is a family favorite recipe that’s sure to become one of yours too!
Whether you make this the traditional way or use your Instant Pot, it’s so easy to make and is loaded with your favorite Mexican flavors. Trust me when I say you might want to double this recipe since everyone will be coming back for seconds or even thirds.
If you love Mexican recipes, you might like to try Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas, these easy Air Fryer Frozen Burritos, and super easy Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.
Why Make This Recipe
- Flavorful – Perfectly seasoned ground beef and all of your favorite Mexican veggies give this pasta salad so much flavor.
- Easy – You can make this recipe in about 30 minutes and it can be made in advance.
- Crunchy – The Doritos chips add awesome crunch and flavor.
- Customizable – Make it spicy, add more veggies, use chicken instead of beef. The options are limitless.
- Main Dish or Side – This dish does double duty and can be served as a main or as a side.
Ingredients Notes
- Pasta – choose your favorite shape.
- Ground Beef with Taco Seasoning – gives this dish authentic Mexican flavor.
- Shredded Cheese – use the convenient pre-packaged Mexican Blend or grate it yourself.
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes – add freshness and flavor.
- Bell Pepper – adds great color and flavor.
- Red Onion – gives this salad zesty flavor.
- Doritos – for awesome crunch! Feel free to swap for another flavor or use plan tortilla chips.
Ready to learn how easy it is to make taco pasta salad? Gather up your ingredients and I will show you…
How To Make Taco Pasta Salad
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Prepare the pasta according to the package and set aside.
- Cook the beef in a skillet and add the taco seasoning. Set aside to cool.
- Break doritos apart, do not crush them.
- Mix all ingredients together and mix well.
- Serve right away.
How To Make Instant Pot Taco Pasta Salad
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Add in the pasta, 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning, salt, and water to the Instant Pot insert. Close the lid and turn the vent to the sealing position. Set to manual pressure/high pressure for 4 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Remove the pasta, drain, and transfer to a bowl.
- Cook the beef in a skillet and add the taco seasoning. Set aside to cool.
- Break the Doritos into pieces but do not crush them.
- Mix all ingredients together and serve right away.
Expert Tips
- Use lean ground beef for less calories and less mess.
- Mix all of the ingredients in advance, except for the dressing and the chips. Add the dressing and Doritos just before serving.
- Use an extra large bowl. You will need lots of room to mix all of the ingredients.
Delicious Variations
- Add More Veggies – Try mixing in shredded lettuce, corn, black beans, chopped avocado or black olives.
- Use Chicken – Swap out the ground beef for ground, shredded or cubed chicken.
- Top It Off – Sprink the top with sliced green onion, cilantro or a dollop of sour cream.
- Change the Dressing – Try Catalina dressing or a creamy avocado ranch.
- Spice It Up – Add jalapenos, a spicy dressing or spicy doritos to give this recipe a kick of heat.
- Use Different Pasta – A short pasta works best here and you could use corkscrews, bowtie, elbow macaroni and more.
Make Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – The pasta and the meat can be made in advance and the ingredients assembled just before serving. As with many pasta dishes, the flavor gets better with time so make and assemble up to 24 hours in advance, but mix in the Doritos and French dressing just before serving.
- Storage – keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FAQs
Unfortunately, no. The fresh veggies won’t stand up to freezing without turning to mush but this is really easy to make. That being said you can use taco meat that has been previously frozen and thawed!
Using tortellini pasta will slightly alter the flavor of this dish but would be a great addition when serving this as a stand-alone meal.
Serving Suggestions
More Recipes You May Like
- Rainbow Veggie Chopped Salad.
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad.
- Tuna Pasta Salad.
- Easy Hawaiian Pasta Salad.
- Asian Cucumber Salad.
- Chinese Chicken Salad.
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans.
Thank you for reading my Taco Pasta Salad recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Get The Taco Pasta Salad Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try Taco Pasta Salad! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
Taco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225g) pasta uncooked
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups (400g) halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons red onion diced
- 2 bell peppers deseeded and diced
- 1 cup (83g) Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 2 cups (52g) Dorito chips
- ½ cup (124g) French dressing or your preferred dressing
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse, transfer to a large serving bowl, and set it aside.
- Cook beef in a skillet, mix in taco seasoning, then remoe from heat.
- Break the Doritos into pieces (but do not crush them).
- Add beef, veggies, cheese, and Doritos to the pasta. Pour in the dressing and mix until combined.
- Serve right away.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add in the pasta, 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning, salt, and water to the Instant Pot insert. Close the lid and turn the vent to the sealing position. Set to manual pressure/high pressure for 4 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Cook beef in a skillet, mix in taco seasoning, and remove from heat.
- Break Doritos into pieces, but do not crush them.
- Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Serve right away.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef for fewer calories and less mess.
- Mix all of the ingredients in advance except for the dressing and the chips. Add the dressing and Doritos just before serving.
- Use an Extra Large bowl. You will need lots of room to mix all of the ingredients.
- Storage – keep in an airtight container inside the fridge for up to 4 days.
Just made this, it’s delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I doubled the amount of pasta. This is especially nice for the heat of summer. I could see this being a potluck hit 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I’m sure this is delicious but at 1400 calories (almost) it is an entire day’s worth of eating for me. WAY to many.