Chopped Taco Salad with Homemade Catalina Dressing
Yield: 6Servings
Prep Time: 25 minutesmins
Cook Time: 8 minutesmins
Total Time: 33 minutesmins
Ingredients
Salad:
1/2-1poundground turkey or beef
½head romaine lettuce, chopped
½head iceberg lettuce, chopped
½cupcilantro chopped
1cupcubed, small cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, etc.
1cupfrozen or fresh corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 (6-ounce)canolives, chopped
1 (15-ounce)canblack beans, rinsed and drained
2roma or plum tomatoes, chopped
1-2avocados, chopped
Crushed tortilla chips
Dressing:
¼cupketchup (see note)
¼cupgranulated sugar
¼cupred wine vinegar
¼cuponion finely chopped
½teaspoonpaprika
¼teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
½cupextra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large, nonstick skillet, brown the ground turkey or beef with salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon of each) until cooked through, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease if needed. Scrape the meat onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to cool a bit.
For the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up 3-4 days in advance.
In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together (including the cooled meat) except the crushed tortilla tips.
Serve the salad with the dressing and crushed tortilla tips.
Notes
Ketchup: I've been using the Heinz natural brand of ketchup without any HFCS and really like it - use a brand you like the taste of for the dressing. Paprika: also, if you want to take the dressing up a notch, use smoked paprika instead of regular. Meat:I prefer the ground turkey or beef simply seasoned with salt and pepper but if you want more kick, try adding cumin, chili powder or a variety of other flavors to the meat while cooking.