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.
Joanne DeBolt says
I would think that if you left the chips out until you got your plate, it would keep better, so you wouldn’t have soggy chips the next day.
STEPHANIE FRANKLIN says
Fabulous, was easy to make and absolutely delicious . This will be apart of family dinners.Thank you for sharing.
So glad you guys liked it!
Haley says
Have you ever tried to make it with chicken instead of beef. Just wondering if it would be as good?
I haven’t! I think it would be good. You might a lose a little flavor, but if your family doesn’t eat beef that or ground turkey (with a little more fat) would be a good substitution.
Karen says
Use Catalina salad dressing instead of French. Much better!
Sheryl says
What can you use instead of french dressing.
Im not a fan
Catalinia or Russian. Some others have also used ranch and salsa as a combo
rhonda says
Love this recipe have made it twice everyone loved it
So glad to hear Rhonda!
Carol says
I would like to post this one! Where do I do that?
I’m not sure what you mean, Carol
Carolina Mora says
Excellent recipe!
Thank you Carolina!
georgiegirl says
This looks very good…..but, we make a vegetarian Taco Salad when we have gatherings.
2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans olives (sliced), a couple of tomatoes, 1 avocado, couple of tbsp salsa, (All mixed together in large bowl. 1 head of lettuce on top,2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese on top of .lettuce. Do not mix yet….Right before people eat, crumple Doritos Nacho cheese chips and put on top of cheese. Mix with 3/4 bottle-1 full bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing and stir. Great for potlucks, and you don’t miss the meat one bit.
Jessica says
Do you mix water in with the meat and taco mix?
Nope :)