Aunt Agnes’ Mexican Salad – Guest Kitchens

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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

 

Aunt Agnes’ Mexican Salad

Aunt Agnes has always brought this recipe to the family reunion and it is always one of the first things gone.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 141kcal

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal
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103 Comments

  1. So funny I’ve been craving this salad the past few days! I learned to make this in my 7th grade Homemaking Class! It was one of the first thing I ever learned to make, and have been making it ever since! It’s all about the Catalina Dressing!

  2. This looks like a great affordable recipe!

    Does anyone have an authentic recipe for Catalina Dressing? We don’t have this in Australia and from my recent flitter around the internet after reading it online here there are many recipes ranging from 4 ingredents to 10!

    As I don’t know what it should taste like (which means I don’t have anything to judge it by) I want to make sure that I have a proper authentic recipe.

    Thanks!

    1. Catalina is more like spicy catsup than say French salad dressing. Kraft is the only company I know that makes Catalina. Maybe you could ask your local grocer if they could get you some.

      1. Here’s the info on Catalina from Kraft’s website…
        KRAFT SALAD DRESSING – SALAD DRESSING – CATALINA

        Ingredients: SOYBEAN OIL, TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), SUGAR, VINEGAR, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF DRIED GARLIC, SPICE, XANTHAN GUM, DRIED ONIONS, PHOSPHORIC ACID, VITAMIN E, NATURAL FLAVOR, RED 40, YELLOW 6, BLUE 1.
        Size: 16 FL OZ
        Upc: 2100064469

  3. This sounds really good!!! I will be trying this soon!!
    I will have to alter it some as it sounds like a large bowl full.
    My husband can not eat anything that comes from a cow,
    beef, cheese, milk, etc. I will have to fix it for one, but will
    make it. thank you it sounds delicious.
    Maryanna

    1. I often make it with ground turkey or ground chicken and eliminate the cheese
      with the dressing it doesn’t really need it
      Have family members in the same situation
      No gluten, lactose intolerant, borderline diabetic, no beef, and a few others
      Makes for interesting buffet tables or potlucks, everything has to have labels

  4. My family has also made this for years and call it taco salad, but we used regular french dressing. I’m glad to know its works well with catalina and italian.

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