So without further wait, FINALLY, I am going to share the infamous Mexican Salad!! I know some of you may have no idea what I am talking about, but for those of you who have had it you know what I mean! This is the stuff I crave all the time. It is great for when you have a lot of mouths to feed. It is by no means the most healthy eats in the world (so all you health nuts are going to have to deal lol). I have to thank my dear friend Dana (Hawley) Jagger for introducing me to this amazing recipe.
So, I start by chopping up all my fresh ingredients. Layer them up in a large bowl. I mean a very large bowl, this recipe makes a TON! Once the Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green Onion are layered in the bowl start browning the Beef. For those who like to be a little healthier, use ground Turkey as an alternative. I personally use turkey more often than not for this recipe. It makes me feel a little more health conscious and it actually tastes great in it LOL.
Now when browning the meat throw in the drained Kidney Beans when the meat is close to being done. I never put the Kidney Beans in when I make Mexican Salad because only my oldest daughter, E, likes them. So if you are like me, nix those from the recipe. While the meat and beans are finishing layer the shredded cheese on top of the salad. Then you want to do the funnest part of the recipe... crush the Doritos of course! Your kids may like this part so ask them to join in. Just smash the bag until you can feel all the chips are crushed into very small pieces.
Now that the meat is done and drained, layer that on top of the cheese. This is important because the hot meat will melt into the cheese. Makes it tastier. Now layer the crushed Doritos on top of the meat. Here comes the "secret" ingredient...Marzetti's Country French Dressing!
Pour the entire bottle over the salad and mix! If you like that extra zing add the splashes of Tabasco now. If not blend and serve. This makes a mountain of a salad so you will want to have this on a night when you have guests. Or if you have a big family, a night when everyone is home.
**Note: If you cannot find the Marzetti's dressing (I can only seem to find it in Ohio) use a creamy french in any other variety. Also, when crushing the chips it helps to pop the bag so you don't have a huge air bubble while trying to smash them.
So here are the things you will need:
Large Bowl
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 Head of Lettuce
2 decent sized Tomatoes, diced
1 bunch of Green Onion, chopped
1 package of Shredded Cheese (I use the Mexican Blend)
1 bag Spicy Nacho Doritos (you can use regular Nacho Doritos if you don't want the spice)
1 can of Kidney Beans, drained and fried in with the beef (this is optional)
A splash of Tabasco for those who like the extra kick
1-1 1/2 bottles of Marzetti's Country French Dressing **See note above**
