I first want to apologize for the pictures in this post. The flash in my camera decided to die while I was taking the pictures.
The Sunday before Labor Day is always the day of Jon's family's reunion. Every family is suppose to provide at least one dish to feed their whole family for two meals. Yes, there are two meals at this family reunion! Since I had just gotten my Aunt Robin's taco salad recipe from my step-mom a few months ago, I decided that I would make that. It was a hit!
Ingredients needed to make Taco Salad:
- 1lb of ground beef
- 1 head of lettuce
- 16oz of kidney beans, drained
- 1 bag of Doritos
- 1 bottle of Catalina or French dressing
- 1 large onion
- 8oz of shredded cheddar cheese (not pictured)
- 3 - 4 tomatoes
How to make Taco Salad:
First brown and drain your hamburger meat.
My aunt's recipe didn't call for any seasoning of any kind, but I decided that I would add some taco seasoning. You can buy a pre-made taco seasoning pack or make your own. I already had some made from a recipe from my friend,
The Kitchen Wife. Here's her taco seasoning recipe:
- 2 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Cumin
- 1/2 tsp. Oregano
- 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
I then let it cook for a few more minutes to let the seasoning infuse with the meat. After the seasoning was mixed in the meat and smelling fantastic, I turned the burner off and let it sit.
While I let the meat cool down, I poured the kidney beans in a container.
Chopped the onion and added with the kidney beans.
Added the browned and seasoned hamburger meat to the onions and kidney beans.
Mix them up thoroughly.
Put them in the refrigerator and let cool.
Because Jon's family reunion is in a different state, we were driving in the day before the reunion. I didn't have enough time to actually do all but the last two steps at home. I ended up cleaning and cutting the head of lettuce to pieces and put them in another container for traveling. I also diced the tomatoes and put them in another container. I also brought a larger container to mix all the items in for later.
Before heading to bed at the hotel, I poured the lettuce in the larger bowl.
Then the meat, onion, and kidney beans mixture.
Then the diced tomatoes.
Lastly the cheddar cheese.
I had completely forgotten to bring a spoon to try and mix it all up. I ended up using a coffee stir, but it didn't work that well. I ended up putting the lid on and tried mixing it up that way. It did better, but not completely. I put it in the refrigerator for the night.
Once we got to the reunion the next day, I crushed up the Doritos and added them to the salad. I then mixed the Doritos in the salad.
Then I slowly poured the Catalina dressing and tried to mix the dressing throughout the salad.
There you have it. I perfect dish to make for a family reunion or any type of potluck event. Try it out for yourself!
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