Taco Salad, Great for a Crowd

Betsy Polstra and her family have lived in Johns Creek since 1982, so they’ve seen lots of changes. She loves being a part of this well-knit community and says that, “Almost every time I go some place in Johns Creek, I see someone I know.” That always makes you feel at home. Oh wait; she is at home. 

One thing the Polstra family likes to do best is have people into their home. They often have house guests and even friends staying for extended periods. Hospitality is a natural part of what they do well. With three now grown children, over the years and even still, their home is a busy place.

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With so many guests visiting, part of what keeps Polstra busy is cooking. She says that she loves trying new recipes and she is a recipe follower. She does what the recipe says and is always glad to come across a new one that is good for feeding a crowd. 

Polstra has several favorite combos that she finds tried and true for serving a group. One is a spaghetti casserole and salad, another is ham, potato casserole and spinach salad, and last, her popular taco salad recipe, which she shares with us below.

Polstra likes making this taco salad because you can prepare the meat topping ahead of time and freeze it for later use, making it a snap to serve this one dish meal. Once she was giving a big going-away/21st birthday party for her daughter and hosting it out of town. She prepared the taco meat mixture at home and froze it, which helped it travel well. Buying the fresh ingredients when she arrived at the party destination, she was able to host the party with minimal stress. I’m impressed.

Try Polstra’s taco salad for a fun summer get together.

Taco Salad
topping ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef, browned and well drained
• 1 can tomato soup, undiluted
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 can ranch-style beans

salad ingredients:

• 1 bag corn chips 
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• romaine and iceberg lettuce, chopped (prepare the amount that you desire)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1 sm. can sliced black olives

prep:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and drain well.

Return meat to skillet and add soup, tomatoes and beans.

Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until mixture has thickened; stirring frequently. 

Prepare salad on a bed of chips topped with lettuce, meat mixture and other toppings as desired.

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