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Mexican Taco Pasta Salad

Mexican taco pasta salad with taco-seasoned ground beef, shredded cheddar, and a creamy ranch-salsa dressing. Chilled for a layered, scoopable texture with crunchy Doritos on top.
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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: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta shells
  • 1 lb pasta shells
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Taco seasoning
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
Cheddar cheese
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Corn kernels
  • 1 cup corn kernels
Black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
Red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
Ranch dressing
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
Salsa
  • 0.25 cup salsa
Doritos
  • 2 cup doritos, crushed
Lettuce for serving
  • 1 lettuce
Sour cream for serving
  • 1 sour cream
Cilantro for serving
  • 1 cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook pasta shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking, leaving pasta cool and separate.
Brown the beef
  1. Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink, then add taco seasoning. Cook according to package directions for the seasoning to thicken slightly, then let cool briefly.
Make the dressing
  1. Mix ranch dressing with salsa until evenly combined. Keep it pourable so it coats the pasta and beef smoothly.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine pasta shells, taco-seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and red onion in a large bowl. Toss gently so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Coat and chill
  1. Pour the ranch-salsa dressing over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors meld and the salad set.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the chilled salad with crushed Doritos, lettuce, sour cream, and cilantro right before serving. Add the toppings at the end for maximum crunch and freshness.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse pasta thoroughly with cold water so the salad doesn’t turn gummy when chilled. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; keep Doritos separate and add fresh before serving. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes. For a lighter option, swap ranch dressing for reduced-fat ranch (and consider using part-skim cheddar).