Taco Pasta Salad
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Easy and uniquely delicious, this easy Taco Pasta Salad recipe is perfect for a flavorful side dish or even a light and tasty entree! You’ll love the classic taco flavors combined with your favorite pasta for a satisfying dish.
Why you’ll love this recipe
I’ve never liked pasta salads and have always been grossed out by mayo being used as a dressing. That’s why I made this pasta salad with an irrisitable and flavorful dressing using Mexican crema as the base.
With the crunchy and cheesy flavor of chips, this flavorful taco pasta salad with crunch Doritos is the perfect way to translate delicious tacos into a fantastic and crowd pleasing side dish or entree!
Great as a fun take on Taco Tuesday, this family friendly recipe uses crushed Doritos for some added texture.
You can easily customize the mix-ins and the homemade creamy dressing to taste, and your whole family will love this easy pasta salad as a flavorful side or even a main course! Serve this at your next gathering, for family reunions, or as a meal on warm summer nights.
Ingredients you will need
- Pasta: Orecchiette is the best pasta for this taco salad, but you can substitute it for your favorite kind of short pasta if you prefer something else.
- Ground beef: A classic taco ingredient, ground beef is hearty and filling. Ground turkey or ground chicken also work well in this recipe.
- Taco seasoning: Use a packet of taco seasoning for that classic flavor.
- Veggies: I use a combination of frozen corn, cherry tomatoes (grape tomatoes also work), and lettuce.
- Cilantro: Provides a nice amount of herbal flavor.
- Doritos: Act as the tortilla in this taco pasta salad and provide some nice cheesy flavor and a crispy crunch.
For the taco sauce:
- Crema: This sour cream-like condiment is a classic ingredient and topping in Mexican cuisine and adds a nice amount of tangy flavor and richness to the dressing. It’s what makes the sauce so delicious and is much better than mayonnaise!
- French dressing: A little bit sweet and a little bit savory, this salty and tangy dressing compliments the bold flavors of the taco meat.
- Pickle relish: This is my secret ingredient that makes the sauce SO irrisitable!
- Sugar: Balances out all the savory flavors with touch of sweetness.
- Seasonings: Paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric provide a nice golden color and warm flavor.
How to make taco pasta salad
- Cook the pasta. Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Make the dressing. While the pasta cooks, add the crema to a mixing bowl with the French dressing, relish, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, and water. Mix until well combined.
- Cook ground beef. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add the ground beef. Allow it to sit until you get some nice browning, then break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink.
- Season meat. After a few minutes, add the taco seasoning to the ground beef. Add water and frozen corn and cook until corn is warmed through.
- Prepare the taco pasta salad. To a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, followed by about 3/4 of the homemade sauce. Mix until the pasta is coated, then mix in the beef mixture, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cilantro. Add as much of the remaining dressing as you like and fold in crushed Doritos.
Recipe tips and variations
- If you need a short cut, Sir Kenginston’s Special Sauce is a good swap for the homemade sauce!
- Adjust the amount of water in the dressing to achieve your desired consistency.
- You can use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of crema, but you’ll probably need to add some more water to balance out the thickness.
- Orecchiette is a fantastic option because it holds the ground beef like a mini cup, but you could also use a shortcut pasta like penne, rotini, or farfalle.
- If you don’t have a taco seasoning packet, combine salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and chili powder.
- Toss the cooked pasta with a little drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking while you work on the rest of the dish.
- Add other ingredients like black beans, diced bell peppers, red onions, black olives, or green onion.
- I like the Doritos for some cheesy flavor, but you could also use plain tortilla chips or corn chips. Shredded cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend can be used for cheesiness instead.
Five mistakes to avoid for pasta salad
- Don’t use the wrong shape of pasta. I think little shells are best for this pasta salad, but you could also use any smaller pasta shape. Long noodles like spaghetti aren’t great pasta salads
- Don’t make it too far in advance. It’s fine to prepare your pasta salad ahead of time as this allows the flavors to meld and develop, but you’ll end up with a mushy pasta salad if you make it too far ahead.
- Add enough seasoning. Especially if you plan to serve your taco pasta salad recipe cold, be sure you add enough seasoning so the flavors shine through.
- Don’t overcook or undercook the pasta. Because the pasta sits in the dressing, I prefer to err on the side of al dente so it doesn’t get mushy or fall apart. Also keep in mind that pasta will toughen up slightly when it’s cold.
- Add the dressing while the pasta is still warm. This will ensure the flavors really develop and will also make it easier to combine everything and evenly coat the pasta.
Can I make it ahead of time?
This taco pasta salad with Doritos is a great dish to prepare ahead of time for parties, BBQs, or potlucks! See the instructions below for tips on how to store it and keep it fresh.
How to store pasta salad
- Keep leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- If you’re making your pasta salad ahead of time, hold off on adding the Doritos, cilantro, and lettuce. Allow the pasta salad to come up to room temp and mix these in right before you serve. I also recommend reserving about half of the dressing.
- Add some water if your dressing has thickened too much in the fridge.
Can you freeze pasta salad?
You can keep pasta salad in the freezer, but be aware that it may have a slightly different flavor or texture once you’ve thawed it. For best results, transfer to a ziploac bag and press out as much excess air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
How to serve
This taco pasta salad recipe can be served warm, hot, or at room temperature. I don’t like to serve it cold or right out of the fridge. It needs to be at least room temperature so the dressing can get nice and creamy. Pair with your favorite taco toppings like sour cream, guacamole, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Pasta salad works as a great side with some Air Fryer Burgers, or an elegant dish like Shrimp Asparagus Risotto or Lemon Pepper Salmon. It can also be served as a main course alongside Air Fryer Corn on the Cob, an Asparagus Salad, or a refreshing Summer Corn Salad. And a cookie cake for dessert is never a bad idea!
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Taco Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz orecchiette pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 cups crushed doritos
Taco Sauce
- 1/2 cup crema
- 1/2 cup creamy french dressing
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. When it’s finished cooking, drain and rinse under cool water. Add a splash of olive oil to the pasta water to keep the noodles from sticking after you drain them.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the Mexican crema, french dressing, water, relish, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric. Set it aside for later.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet (like a cast iron) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground beef and brown for 4-5 minutes on each side before breaking the meat apart with a spatula or meat masher.
- Continue cooking the beef for 5-6 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning and mix to combine. Then add the water and corn and continue cooking until the corn is warmed through and the beef is fully cooked (160F).
- Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl with 3/4 of the taco sauce and mix to combine. Then mix in the cooked ground beef and corn mixture, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cilantro. Add more dressing if you like, then carefully fold in the crushed doritos and serve.
Notes
- If you happen to be prepping this pasta salad ahead of time, leave out the lettuce, cilantro, and Doritos until just before serving so they don’t get soggy. Also, set some of the burger sauce aside to mix in before serving.
- If your dressing is too thick, add more water to thin it out.
- If using sour cream or greek yogurt you might need up to 1/4 cup of water but mix in 1 tbsp at a time.
- While you can probably swap out this pasta to your favorite, I like the oriecchette pasta shape because it holds the ground beef like a mini cup.
