A fun, healthy potluck dish. Try this Big Picnic Taco Salad. It comes together quickly, serves a crowd and is everybody’s favorite.
This was a favorite salad growing up. I remember my mom making it to take to the Sunday School Picnic and other potlucks. I also remember her making it for supper with fresh garden lettuce. It was a hearty salad perfect for a summer meal. Speaking of which, I used my own garden lettuce to make this salad and I ate it for lunch for several days in a row.
After a rocky gardening start, it’s doing well. The cool weather has kept it from going to seed and we have gotten lots of good salads out of it.
Do you ever have salad for supper. Growing up, we ate a bigger meal at noon most of the time and then our evening meal was simpler, often soup. It fit well into the farming, homeschool family I grew up in. My body loves eating like that today, except with a husband who comes up for supper and wants a hearty meal. So we’ve switched and now eat more like regular people.
Although this salad is hearty enough that I’ve served it for supper several times with no complaints from him.
This salad uses a mixture of red French and Italian salad dressing which is what makes this salad great. And of course the dressing is going to be best if you make them both homemade. Please try it at least once. If that isn’t your thing, you can always substitute your favorite dressing. Ranch if you must or a Cilantro Dressing sounds good too. This Avocado version from Pinch of Yum is one I’d try.
This would also be an easy make ahead Potluck dish. Just prep all the ingredients ahead of time and then toss them together right before serving. Easy Peasy.
This Hearty Taco Soup is another EASY dinner favorite that you might want to try too!
Big Picnic Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large bowl lettuce washed, I used a combination of spinach and garden lettuce
- 1 pound ground beef browned
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved if you prefer
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 cups slightly crushed tortilla or corn chips.
- 1 cup French catalina dressing
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
Instructions
- Stir the ground beef and taco seasoning together per the instructions on the taco seasoning. Prepare all vegetables and toppings. Stir together the French Catalina and Italian Dressing. Keep ingredients separate until ready to serve.
- To serve, toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. I like to reserve some of each topping to add on top after mixing it all together. It's best eaten immediately.
Nutrition
Looking for some other Potluck sides that are sure to be a hit? Try these.
Classic Zucchini Bread
Apple Dumpling Bake, an easy way to make apple dumplings for a crowd
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