Aunt Agnes’ Mexican Salad – Guest Kitchens
Today’s post is from Lora Roberts, a Southern Plate Family member that I had the privilege of meeting while I was on my book tour. I actually had the privilege of getting to eat with her, too! I was headed to a signing at a bookstore located in a mall and got there early hoping to grab some supper in the food court. As I stood in line to place my order Lora came up and said hi to me! She had also arrived early for the signing hoping to eat. I asked if she would mind if I sat with them and we spent the next half hour chatting away!
Thank you for your hospitality, Lora, and thank you for sharing this recipe and heartwarming story with us today. I am so intrigued by it that I’m heading out to the grocery store to get the makin’s today! If anyone reading this has ever made it, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. I know you’ll also want to chat with Lora in the comments as well so feel free!
Gratefully,
Christy
Christy,
I had to stop and think of which recipe I wanted to share the most and which had a story really worth telling. My grandmother passed away when I was 17 and my mother when I was 19. Most of my recipes I have acquired over the years have been from other family members. I guess the one with the most meaning is the one I will share!
Aunt Agnes has always brought this recipe to the family reunion and it is always one of the first things gone. Now you have to remember my dad’s family is good old East Tennessee folks, raised on cornbread, beans and other traditional Southern cooking. But everyone loves this! When Aunt Agnes lived too far away to make the reunion (uncle was a preacher and they lived many places over the years), my stepmom would bring it in her place. I fixed it for my boyfriend a couple of summers ago and he loved it. Just a good fresh and cool salad for summertime and something he enjoyed taking in his lunch, light but filling.
Last year after the family reunion, we stopped by Aunt Agnes’ house to visit as she had not been feeling well and she didn’t attend the reunion. While visiting I told her I had fixed Rick the Mexican Salad and how much he loved it so I asked….how did you get this recipe? What she told me made the recipe mean that much more to me.
In the early 80′s after losing my grandmother, mother, favorite uncle and a couple other relatives, I lost my cousin Linda (Aunt Agnes’ only girl). When I was a small girl they called me “Little Linda” as I was so much like her and tended to talk through my nose like her! Linda first got sick with a tumor on her spine. Eventually other cancers took her from us. Aunt Agnes and Uncle Charles lived in Texas at the time and Aunt Agnes came back to Atlanta to stay with Linda. When Linda was really bad and in the hospital for a long time, one of the nurses came in one day with a bowl of the Mexican Salad for Aunt Agnes and the other family members to eat since she felt they had to be tired of the hospital cafeteria by then. Everyone loved it and Aunt Agnes asked her for the recipe. So through the loss of a much beloved family member, we received a much beloved family recipe. One I will continue to fix and share in honor of Linda and Aunt Agnes.
~Lora Roberts
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bottle Catalina dressing
- 1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 head of lettuce, chopped (or 1 bag salad mix)
- 1 bag Doritos (Nacho cheese flavor), crumbled
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, stirring constantly. Drain and cool. Mix ground beef with cheese, pintos, onion and dressing. Refrigerate. Before serving, add tomatoes, lettuce and Doritos.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bottle Catalina dressing
- 1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 head of lettuce, chopped (or 1 bag salad mix)
- 1 bag Doritos (Nacho cheese flavor), crumbled
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, stirring constantly. Drain and cool. Mix ground beef with cheese, pintos, onion and dressing. Refrigerate. Before serving, add tomatoes, lettuce and Doritos.
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jun 13 2011. Filed under Guests, Main Course.
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OH WOW… I had this salad when I was (clearing throat) younger.. LOL.. anyway.. I had forgotten all about it. Thank you sooooooooo much for sharing, I can’t wait to make this for a hot summer meal!! Hugs to Aunt Agnes for sure and to you also Lora!
Do you drain the pintos? Do you really use a whole bottle of dressing? Thanks.
I made it last night. Didn’t drain the pintos and used the whole bottle. Oh my! Good!!
This is the ‘make your own’ Mexican salad we use to fix at work. Everyone would bring an ingredient and one just put what they liked on the salad. It’s wonderful and delicious:) I had forgotten about this so time to fix a batch.
I too had forgotten about this recipe, so haven’t made it in years. And it is GREAT for family reunions, church suppers, etc. Because I’m allergic to beef, I’ve made it with both ground venison and chicken (I like the venison best). My recipe calls for the original Fritos, instead of Doritos. Going to have to make this one soon! Thanks for sharing your story, Lora..
Cheryl
Lora, I’m just curious where in good ol’ East TN you are from- I live in Jefferson City, and it’s nice to see another East Tennesseean here! Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Lora, thank you for this great salad recipe. Christy, thank you for allowing Lora to share this recipe. This will be a good summer salad for lunch. What a great way to remember your loved ones! As this recipe is passed around their memories will be passed along also. Thank you!!!!
Lora, I can’t wait to get all the ingredients to make this wonderful salad. This has come in just in time for this hot weather we are having. Thank you for sending it in and telling us the story behind it. What a great story and hugs to Aunt Alice.
This also a favorite of our family. We season the beef with taco seasoning and use 1000 island instead of catalina. We originally used taco flavored Doritos, which they discontinued until just recently. When I saw the old taco flavor back, I knew I had to make the taco salad again.
Yummy!!! I am going to have to try that.
I make this regularly and add taco seasoning to hamburger and Catalina dressing and Ranch flavoured Doritos and lots and lots of shredded cheese. YUMMY!!! I love this site by the way. New to it.
Welcome to Southern Plate Trudy!! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes and I look forward to getting to know you!
This is a family favorite for us. Our sister, who was i a motorcycle wreck and lived but with brain damage, first shared it at Decoration Day in Cades Cove. This recipe always reminds me of her. Sad times do bring out memorable recipes, and maybe that is just part of the healing process. The salad is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for sharing it.
I am so sorry to hear about the accident Beverly. She will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for sharing this lovely story and recipe! I do have a question, though. How do you add the lettuce and chips? Do you make a bed of them and scoop the meat on top? Or do you mix it all up together? Sounds so tasty, I want to get it right.
I made it last night Eve and I did it as toppings and ate it with the chips.
Eve I was about to ask that same question, how do you add in the lettuce, tomatoes and chips? Do you mix it all together or just put it on top? Help lol,Carmen
this has always been a favorite at holidays or small get togethers. my aunt would make this and our family could not wait to eat it. How something so simple can be so delish.
Made it last night for supper- my 19-year old son loved it… so you know it passes the test!
I make this all the time and get requests to make it for family functions. I have never added the pintos though, so I’m gonna have to give that a try. I just mix mine all together and let it chill in the fridge for a bit and then eat. : ) It’s mmmmmmmmm…………Good!!
Warren introduced me to this salad shortly after we met. We both love it. His version uses Fritos, but I’m sure Dorito’s would be just as good. Also, we use drained Ranch style beans, but that could just be a Fort Worth thing, since they used to make them there. We’ve never had it with meat in it but I’m sure it would be delicious!
Denise
I have only made it with Fritos and we use drained Ranch style beans in ours. I mix my hamburger meat with Taco seasoning. I had picky children so I just put all the ingredients into small bowls and everyone would fix theirs the way they liked it.
I’m another one who had forgotten about this recipe and now remember how yummy it was – thanks! We called it “Taco Salad” and used Fritos. My taco salad” version mixed everything together, except the Fritos that were sprinkled on top for crunch, and the meat was hot. It made lots as I recall. It did not store well so I’m with you Christy – seems like salad with individual toppings is the way to go.
Made this and its really yummy, next time I think Ill use Ranch on mine, it was a little too sweet for me but hubby LOVED it. I also used taco seasoning (homemade) in my meat. We have lots of leftovers so we will probably have it for dinner too
I took a pic, wish I could add it 
Carmen
I have made this a bunch, but like someone else said, I use Fritos instead of Doritos. And, here in Texas, we use Ranch-style beans in that salad. I think you can only get those here, but they make it extra yummy. Also, my recipe doesn’t call for beef, so if you try leaving it out, it will still be good.
A little dab of sour cream and guacamole atop each serving adds a splash of taste and a splash of color.
I’m originally from TN. When I first moved to TX this is one of the first things Texans taught me to make. I know that you can get Ranch Style beans in middle TN. If you can’t find them, use Mexi flavored beans. We drain and rinse them. We use taco seasoning in the meat and usually serve it warm. We use taco chips which you crush in your hands as you are serving yourself. We put all the ingredients out in separate bowls and left everyone fix their own. We also use Catalina Dressing (though you could use Russian dressing). Some of my Tx family uses salsa on it instead of dressing. A lot of Texans make their own guacamole and a spoon of that and/or sour cream is good, though we don’t usually include those. I’m allergic to beef like a previous writer, so I use ground turkey. With the taco seasoning in it, no one knows the difference. We call it Taco Salad.
We also live in Texas and use a head of lettuce, chili flavored Fritos, ranch style beans, and crumbled bacon instead ground beef. We also use .Catalina Dressing but the Russian Dressing sounds good too. Think I’ll try that next time. Thanks for the tip, Shelley.
Here in Michigan my family call this “Taco Salad” — my side of the family has always used Ranch dressing with salsa and my in-laws always use the Catalina dressing with either Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese Doritos. We also make the meat with taco seasoning! I love this salad!!!
My family has made this recipe for years. We call it “Mexican Chef Salad” . . . it was always my little sister Mary’s request as her birthday dinner. The only difference is we use thousand island dressing and add chopped avocado! It is a traditional light summer dinner in our family . . . always served with warm pull-a-part bread! Yummy!
Love the picture of your Uncle Charles and Aunt Agnes really add’s nostalgia, real family pictures looks great on the website.
I love this recipe. I got my version of it from a cousin-in-law on one side and now take it every year to the other side’s family reunion. I add black beans (1 can, rinsed and drained) and a bag of corn (thawed over night). My second counsins love it and always want what is leftover since it doesn’t save well. I’ll be making “taco salad” for them next month.
Yummy, can I tag along??
What size bottle of dressing do u use?? I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Taco Salad…being a kid in the 1970′s, my mother would make this frequently during the summer. Always with kidney beans and 1000 Island dressing. Everything was dumped and tossed together, with nary a leftover. Total comfort food for me….
This was one of the few recipes we made in home-ec class when I was a freshmen in high school…
I’ve eaten this for years. My family (even the picky kids) love it too! I use Fritos rather than doritos. I mix everything but the chips and dressing together and add those to individual plates before serving. That way, the leftovers (if there are any!) dont’ get soggy. It is SOOOO Good!
Love your website….
curious, is your Aunt Agnes still alive?
What a wonderful story. I have been looking for this recipe for several years. My grandmother who recently passed away was born and raised in Texas and used to make this for us when we were kids. She called it “dump salad.” It was made with ranch beans, Fritos, and catalina dressing. You have made me so very happy by posting this.
On another note….I just recently found your website and it brings back so many memories of all the food she used to make. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We do this salad at work for “Cinco De Mayo” (we’re in “Southern” California). Everyone pitches in and brings something for it. We us crock pots and cook chicken thighs and heat up shredded beef for the base with all the other fixings. It goes over very well. We use homemade salsa as a dressing. We all love it…..
I can never figure out how people say “this is a great summer salad or spring or whatever season” like people that only eat chili in the winter. If it taste good to me and I like it it doesn’t have a season winter, spring, summer, or fall. I have heard many say ” your eating chili in this hot weather” why, does it taste better in other seasons? Lol. I know most people will say because they associate it with warming in the winter, but I go with whatever taste good eat it 12 months out of he year and enjoy!