Chopped Taco Salad with Homemade Catalina Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1/2-1 pound ground turkey or beef
- ½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup cubed, small cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, etc.
- 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels, thawed if frozen
- 1 (6-ounce) can olives, chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 roma or plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1-2 avocados, chopped
- Crushed tortilla chips
Dressing:
- ¼ cup ketchup (see note)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup extra-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.