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.
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!
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?
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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
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
Nutrition
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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!
Yes, it’s perfect for binge-watching 🙂
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
LOL, thanks for the visit, Gigi. You made me laugh so hard 🙂
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!
Wow, this looks so yummy! We can’t wait to try this when we get home.
This looks tasty and the presentation is fun for parties!
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!
This salad look awesome! It would be perfect for my large crowd at home.
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!
The title is a little misleading but it sure looks like a wonderful salad! I wanna make it now
Oh man this looks amazing! Saving!
It looks so delicious! I’ve never thought about a trash bag for that before but it is a great idea.
WOW! How interesting! I would have never thought of using a garbage bag for mixing big portions of food! And this looks so delicious!!!
This is looks good! I’ll try this one this coming weekend! I also like the idea of trash bag taco salad.
This taco salad looks amazing! I need to make it one day.
What an interesting way to make a salad. This would be great fro a big party.
This is an interesting way to make this recipe. It does sound super delicious though