This Taco Pasta Salad is a family favorite! This pasta salad recipe is perfect for BBQs, potlucks and big family gatherings! It has a secret ingredient that stops everyone in their tracks!
Make a bunch of BLT Ranch Burgers, a big Zucchini Sheet Cake, a huge batch of my mom’s Bacon Spinach Salad and you have the perfect menu for a big family get together.
Growing up with two older brothers, I always wanted a sister. I remember one year for Christmas I actually asked my parents for a twin sister, because I was kind of a punk as a kid.
They gave me a mirror.
I wonder where I got my punkiness from.
And then after growing up with two brothers, I married a man with FIVE.
But the thing about all those brothers is that it has actually meant sisters! Seven sister in laws!
Don’t tell anyone, but one of my very favorite sister in laws is the wife of the brother who is just one older than Nathan (did you follow that?). Deanna has been part of my in law family the longest, so I have known longer than almost all of my other sister in laws. She is so many awesome things, but I enjoy her most as an aunt and as a friend. She seriously loves my kids so much, it is the greatest thing to watch. And even though right now she lives on the other side of the stupid planet (remember when I made this Pina Colada Sangria for her send off?) and when I text her I’m either interrupting her breakfast or keeping her awake too late, she is one of my favorite people text with . . . I always end up cry laughing ????
THE BEST TACO PASTA SALAD RECIPE
So this is her recipe. She has made it for tons of family functions, and I loooooove it. I snarf it down every time she makes it. The secret ingredient to this, if you can believe it, is French dressing. I know that sounds super totally weird, but it is all the exact right flavor combos.
This makes a HUGE batch, so it is perfect for BBQs and family functions. You can make it ahead of time, but just wait to add the dressing and chips until right before you serve it otherwise the chips and the lettuce will get all soggy and weird.
Enjoy!
OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
If you like this Taco Pasta Salad, you will also love these other great family recipes:
Taco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef cooked and drained
- 1 pound rotini cooked and drained and rinsed with cold water
- 1 oz or 3 TBSPs taco seasoning
- 1 green pepper diced small
- 1 small yellow onion diced small
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 1/2 cups French dressing
- 9 3/4 oz bag Nacho Doritos crushed
Instructions
- Stir together the beef and the taco seasoning.
- In a very large bowl, mix together the beef, noodles, green pepper, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.
- Mix in the French dressing until everything is well coated. Then stir in the chips. Enjoy right away.
Vicki Yarbrough says
I made this tonight and my husband just loves loves it!!! Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to hear it Vicki!
Liv Greenfield says
I grew up eating this with 3 changes. 1) no noodles…it was specifically a salad 2) Tostitos or Fritos instead of Doritos 3) western dressing instead of French.
I’m very excited to try it with pasta.
I hope you like it!
Laura says
Thank you for sharing this! I was trying to think of something a little different than the usual potato, pasta etc salad for my church picnic and a friend at work told me he just shared it on Facebook. I looked it up and now am so happy to have this recipe! I know it will be a crowd pleaser. Thank you for the tips on waiting to add the last couple ingredients :) I will be looking forward to more recipes from you :)
Cathy says
I need to make several batches of this for a school luncheon. Can I make the noodles and beef 2 days in advance?
Two days might be pushing it a tiny bit. I probably would do it the day before only, but it will probably be okay.
Brooke says
Hi. I’m making this for Memorial Day tomorrow and I follow a recipe to a T bc I’m kitchen illiterate. lol I noticed that the recipe says for taco seasoning, 1oz or 4 TBLS., but 4 TBLS is actually 2oz, so I was wondering if it’s actually 4 or 2 ounces?
Hi Brooke! I’m so sorry I’m so late in answering this! So, I just measured, and a 1 oz (net weight) taco seasoning packet amounts to 4 tablespoons. So if you make the homemade version, I would stick with 4 TBSPs, otherwise buy the 1 oz packet (28 grams) and call it a day :)
Nicole says
I have been making this taco salad for over 10 years but I use Italian dressing. I also never put pasta in it. I am definitely trying that next. When I go to parties I am always asked to make taco salad. Everyone loves it. I have made it so much that I don’t eat it anymore. Lol. I did use Catalina dressing one time and it wasn’t a big hit so I went back to the Italian dressing. Definitely not good reheated or if it sits too long.
Kristin Towle says
This is great! I added a can of black beans and used Fritos instead of Doritos…. makes a lot… and was gobbled up!! Great leftovers for summer lunches. Thanks
Vicky says
I have never used noodles, but I have made Taco salad the sauce I always use is 1 jar of taco sauce and equal amount of Helmans mayo and plain tortilla chips crushed. Very good.
Thomas says
This looks amazing! It combines two of my favorites, pasta and taco salad. I look forward to making it soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I hope you like it Thomas!
Geena says
This is great! Had to share something funny – I thought the recipe sounded yummy so I copied it over to Word and printed it out. Then I read a couple of the comments, about different dressings, so I added that to my version and printed it out. I read a couple more comments, about mayo and chunky salsa, so I added a “note” to mine and printed it out. Read more and added a note about serving the lettuce and chips on the side, and printed it out. Went back and read ALL the rest of the comments – added a note about optional corn and black beans. Printed it out. Now I’m putting all the previously printed-out sheets in the recycling bin. Yeah, guess I could have been smarter. But I got a good laugh out of it.
Hahaha Geena!