Go Back

Mexican Taco Pasta Salad

Mexican taco pasta salad with pasta shells and taco-seasoned ground beef tossed in a creamy ranch-salsa dressing. Packed with cheddar, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and crunchy Doritos for a colorful taco Tuesday-style fiesta salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Taco pasta salad
  • 1 lb pasta shells
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.25 cup salsa
  • 2 cup Doritos, crushed
  • lettuce for serving
  • sour cream for serving
  • cilantro for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool, then let drain well.
Brown the beef
  1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in taco seasoning and cook according to package directions, then cool slightly.
Make the creamy dressing
  1. In a bowl, mix ranch dressing with salsa until evenly combined. Set aside while you assemble the salad.
Assemble the salad (before chilling)
  1. In a large bowl, combine pasta, ground beef, cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and red onion. Toss gently to distribute the toppings.
Coat and chill
  1. Pour the ranch-salsa dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors meld.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the chilled salad with crushed Doritos. Add lettuce, sour cream, and cilantro right before serving for the best crunch and freshness.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep the Doritos and fresh toppings off until serving so they stay crisp after chilling. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; the salad freezes poorly because of the dairy dressing. For a lighter option, swap ranch dressing for a Greek-yogurt ranch or plain Greek yogurt plus taco seasoning.