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Mexican Taco Pasta Salad

Mexican taco pasta salad with taco-seasoned ground beef, melty cheddar, and a creamy ranch-salsa dressing. Chilled for at least 2 hours so every bite is packed with taco flavor and crunchy Doritos.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 710
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pasta shells
  • 1 lb pasta shells
ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
  • 1 taco seasoning
cheddar cheese
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
corn kernels
  • 1 cup corn kernels
black beans
  • 1 can black beans, drained
red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
ranch dressing
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
salsa
  • 0.25 cup salsa
Doritos
  • 2 cup Doritos, crushed
lettuce
  • 1 lettuce
sour cream
  • 1 sour cream
cilantro
  • 1 cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook the pasta shells according to package directions until just tender, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool the pasta quickly.
Brown the beef
  1. Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink, then add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions until fragrant and evenly coated.
Make the dressing
  1. Mix the ranch dressing with the salsa until smooth and creamy, with a pink-orange streaked color for even taco flavor.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine the pasta, ground beef, cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and red onion in a large bowl so the cheese and toppings are distributed throughout.
  2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat until the pasta looks glossy and speckled with cheese.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld and the dressing cling to the pasta (cover for best texture).
Finish and serve
  1. Top the chilled salad with crushed Doritos, then add lettuce, sour cream, and cilantro so the Doritos stay crunchy.

Notes

Pro tip: add the Doritos and fresh toppings right before serving to keep their crunch. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; for best texture, add more Doritos and fresh lettuce when reheating is not needed. Freezing is not recommended because the creamy dressing and vegetables can break down. For a lighter option, swap ranch dressing for a Greek-yogurt ranch (or use half ranch/half plain Greek yogurt) to reduce fat while keeping the creamy coating.