Aunt Agnes’ Mexican Salad – Guest Kitchens
This delicious, 30-minute Mexican Salad recipe comes from Lora Roberts, a dear Southern Plate Family member I met on my book tour. It uses simple ingredients like savory ground beef, crisp lettuce, crunchy Doritos, and sweet Catalina dressing to create pure comfort in a bowl. Enjoy this taste of an East Tennessee family tradition!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Aunt Agnes’ Mexican Salad
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Calories: 141 cal
- Main Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef, 1 c. shredded cheese, 1 can pinto beans, 1 large onion, 1 bottle Catalina dressing, 1 or 2 tomatoes, 1 head of lettuce, 1 bag Doritos
- Why You'll Love It: Aunt Agnes has always brought this recipe to the family reunion and it is always one of the first things gone.
The Salad That Brings People Together
For years, Lora’s Aunt Agnes brought this Mexican salad to every family reunion, and it was always the first dish to disappear.
The recipe has a very touching story behind it. When Aunt Agnes’ daughter Linda was in the hospital with cancer, a kind nurse brought this salad to the family. It was such a comfort during a difficult time that Aunt Agnes asked for the recipe. Lora continues to make the salad to honor both Linda and Aunt Agnes, carrying on a tradition born from loss and love.
The salad itself is a wonderful mix of textures and flavors: savory, sweet, and crunchy all in one bite. It’s also incredibly easy to customize. If you’ve tried my Mexican taco pasta skillet, you’ll know how much I love versatile, Mexican-inspired dishes!
Thank you for your hospitality, Lora, and thank you for sharing this recipe and heartwarming story with us today!
Ingredients
- Gound beef
- Shredded cheese
- Pinto beans
- Onion
- Catalina dressing
- Tomatoes
- Head of lettuce (or 1 bag salad mix)
- Doritos (nacho cheese flavor)
Variations on this Mexican Salad
Feel free to swap the ground beef for shredded chicken, ground turkey, or even black beans for a vegetarian twist. You could also add a can of corn, some sliced bell peppers, or sprinkle in some jalapeños for a spicy kick. No matter how you make it, it’s a dish that brings people together!
1. Cook the Beef
First things first, brown your ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, making sure to stir it constantly so it cooks evenly.
Once it’s all browned, drain off the grease and set the beef aside to cool down a bit.
2. Mix the Good Stuff
In a large bowl, combine your cooled ground beef with the shredded cheese, pinto beans, onion, and Catalina dressing. Give it a good stir until everything is nicely mixed together.
Once it’s all combined, pop it in the refrigerator to chill.
Make it ahead: You can prepare the beef mixture (Step 2) a day in advance. Just keep it covered in the refrigerator and add the fresh ingredients right before serving to keep everything crisp.
3. Add the Fresh Ingredients
Just before you’re ready to serve, it’s time to add the fresh components.
Gently fold in the chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and the crushed Doritos. You want to do this right at the end, so everything stays crisp and fresh.
Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Mexican Salad
This salad is hearty enough to be a meal by itself, but a slice of warm Mexican cornbread on the side never hurt nobody! You can also serve it alongside my grilled chicken (no grill needed!) or cilantro lime chicken tacos for an ultra-satisfying meal.
How to Store Mexican Salad
To store leftover Mexican salad, keep the beef mixture and the fresh ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge. This will stop the lettuce and chips from getting soggy. When you’re ready for seconds, just mix everything together again!
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.
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.
A little dab of sour cream and guacamole atop each serving adds a splash of taste and a splash of color.
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.
We are able to but canned ranch style beans in Arkansas grocery stores. The even have them with jalapenos in them
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’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.
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.
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