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Home » Fruits and Vegetables » Trash Bag Taco Salad

Trash Bag Taco Salad

Last updated on June 24, 2017. Originally posted on October 11, 2016 by Lalaine. 18 Comments

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Trash Bag Taco Salad is a fun and easy salad to prepare for potlucks and parties. It’s loaded with taco meat, shredded lettuce, and all the trimmings for a sure crowd-pleaser and it’s tossed together in a trash bag for quick clean up.

Trash Bag Taco Salad

I know what you’re thinking and I totally agree. Trash bag taco salad doesn’t sound very appetizing but trust me, this is one of the best salads you’ll ever have!

I found this taco salad recipe online years ago and it has since become my go-to food to bring for potlucks and parties. The name intrigued me to try it and the taste got me hooked. Loaded with crisp corn chips, flavorful ground beef, ranch-style beans, salsa, cheddar cheese and a colorful slew of tomatoes, onions, and olives, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Trash Bag Taco Salad

As the salad is popular for large gatherings and the bulk amount makes it difficult to mix in a regular-sized container, all the ingredients gets tossed together in a trash bag instead. It’s easy and fun to prepare and makes clean-up a breeze. But although simple and convenient, making this trash bag taco salad can easily turn into a major fiasco. Can you just imagine the mess and stress if the bag broke and everything spilled all over the place?

Trash Bag Taco Salad

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Trash Bag Taco Salad

As you’ll see in the recipe below, this trash bag taco salad makes a whopping 40 to 50 servings! You can, of course, scale it down for a regular family dinner or double to easily feed an army. Either way, enjoy!

Trash Bag Taco Salad
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Trash Bag Taco Salad

4.5 from 2 votes
Trash Bag Taco Salad is a fun and easy salad to prepare for potlucks and parties. It’s loaded with taco meat, shredded lettuce, and all the trimmings for a sure crowd-pleaser and it’s tossed together in a trash bag for quick clean up.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Salad
Servings: 40 Servings
Calories: 278kcal
Author: Onion Rings and Things

Ingredients

For the Taco Meat

  • 3 pounds ground beef
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 3 ounce taco seasoning mix

For the Salad

  • 3 iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 5 tomatoes, seeded and chopped,
  • 1 large onion, peeled and diced
  • 30 ounces ranch-style beans, drained
  • 1 cup sliced olives, drained
  • 16 ounces corn chips
  • 16 ounces Catalina salad dressing
  • 1 1/2 cups salsa
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

For the Taco Meat

  • In a skillet over medium heat, add ground beef. Cook, breaking into pieces with back of the spoon, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to release fat. Drain excess fat if needed. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until beef lightly browns and onions and garlic are softened.
  • Add water and taco seasoning mix. Stir until well-dispersed. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the Salad

  • In a trash bag or very large container, combine taco meat, lettuce, beans, olives, corn chips, salad dressing, salsa, and cheese. Gently toss until well-distributed. Transfer to serving container.

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home

Nutrition

Serving: 190g | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.4g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 10.8g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 608mg | Fiber: 4.8g | Sugar: 2.9g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 80mg
Tried this recipe? I'd love to see what you made!mention @Onionringsandthings and hashtag photo with #onionringsandthings

By the way, if you’re in the mood for a good laugh, make sure to watch John Cena’s #Heftyheftyhefty commercials! John is one of my favorite celebrities and I am so glad he’s teaming up with Hefty to bring the #Heftyheftyhefty chant back to life.

Trash Bag Taco Salad is a fun and easy salad to prepare for potlucks and parties. It's loaded with taco meat, shredded lettuce, and all the trimmings for a sure crowd-pleaser and everything gets tossed together in a trash bag for quick clean up.

 

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Filed Under: Fruits and Vegetables, Meat and Poultry, Salads and Sides Tagged With: beans, dressing, ground beef, lettuce, olives, taco seasoning, tomato

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Lalaine from The Recipe Pot

Hello! My name is Lalaine and Welcome to Onion Rings and Things where you’ll find comfort food recipes, crafts, and printables. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karlaroundtheworld | Karla says

    October 26, 2016 at 3:12 am

    Contrary to what you said, I was intrigued with the name since I love tacos. Thank you for sharing this one, this one will be perfect for my Netflix!

    Reply
    • Lalaine says

      October 27, 2016 at 1:30 am

      Yes, it’s perfect for binge-watching 🙂

      Reply
  2. GiGi Eats says

    October 18, 2016 at 6:22 am

    Ah ha ha this is soooo my type of recipe! I eat out of bags all the time. I dump everything into those veggie bags – BAM! Salad – DONE

    Reply
    • Lalaine says

      October 18, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      LOL, thanks for the visit, Gigi. You made me laugh so hard 🙂

      Reply
  3. CJ from Thirty30Courtney says

    October 13, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    Never heard of the concept, but definitely unique! The salad was able to feed a lot of people, I’m sure, unless they were extremely hungry!

    Reply
  4. Ourfamilyworld says

    October 12, 2016 at 9:43 pm

    Wow, this looks so yummy! We can’t wait to try this when we get home.

    Reply
  5. Jena Proctor says

    October 12, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    This looks tasty and the presentation is fun for parties!

    Reply
  6. [email protected] says

    October 12, 2016 at 11:31 am

    I love anything tacos!!! So this looks like a winner. We usually do taco tuesdays in our house so can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply
  7. Tyane says

    October 12, 2016 at 6:45 am

    This salad look awesome! It would be perfect for my large crowd at home.

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth O. says

    October 12, 2016 at 12:30 am

    This is perfect for football season! It’s easy to clean up and to put together. You just have to make sure that you are using a reliable bag like this one!

    Reply
  9. Amy Jones says

    October 11, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    The title is a little misleading but it sure looks like a wonderful salad! I wanna make it now

    Reply
  10. Jaycie says

    October 11, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    Oh man this looks amazing! Saving!

    Reply
  11. Melanie Smith says

    October 11, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    It looks so delicious! I’ve never thought about a trash bag for that before but it is a great idea.

    Reply
  12. Ileana says

    October 11, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    WOW! How interesting! I would have never thought of using a garbage bag for mixing big portions of food! And this looks so delicious!!!

    Reply
  13. Kalyn Cruz says

    October 11, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    This is looks good! I’ll try this one this coming weekend! I also like the idea of trash bag taco salad.

    Reply
  14. Amber Myers says

    October 11, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    This taco salad looks amazing! I need to make it one day.

    Reply
  15. tara pittman says

    October 11, 2016 at 4:33 pm

    What an interesting way to make a salad. This would be great fro a big party.

    Reply
  16. Crystal Gard says

    October 11, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    This is an interesting way to make this recipe. It does sound super delicious though

    Reply

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