This unique salad has tasty flavors which come together making a perfect combo for a delicious meal! A tasty choice for an easy, weeknight dinner.

Growing up, this was one of my favorite dinners. My mom was the main cook in my household, but dad did have a couple of things he would sometimes make. He made really good cookies, both chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin (but don’t you dare eat the dough, you’d get your hand slapped LOL) and this taco salad.

Dad was a firefighter for Central Fire District in Santa Cruz, California and from what I understand, this recipe (or before I veganized it anyway) was one he brought home from the firehouse. I remember my mom driving him down dinner every night (luckily we lived on the same street), but there must have been nights when they would cook dinner in-house.

It’s a simple recipe, definitely nothing fancy, but I’ve never seen another salad like it. I loved it as a kid (and still do), my daughter (the pickiest eater I’ve ever known) has always loved it, and my mom (even after my parents divorced) loves it as well! The key ingredients to this recipe consist of the dressing, made up of a blend of green taco sauce and Italian dressing, and the topping, traditionally Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chips, but that one, to make vegan, I had to change.

For the chips, we tried two different kinds. We tried Forager Cheezy Greens, which were my favorite, and we tried Blaze Doritos, which aren’t cheesy, but they are vegan and SPICY. The Doritos were preferred by my husband and son. There are also other “cheesy” vegan tortilla chips out there; you can use your favorite if you have one, or any flavored tortilla chip. Aside from being tasty, one of the things I like about the Forager chips, is they’re not only dairy free but corn free as well!

For some of you, it may be a little early in the year to have a salad for dinner, but for me, I just haven’t been able to wait. As the temperatures have been creeping up, I’ve been more and more craving salads and barbecues.

Last week, I made salads for dinner not once, but twice! It was also warm enough to lay out every day. Today it’s raining, yay spring with that manic weather. Maybe it’ll be soup tonight, LOL.

Wherever you may be, if it’s not warm yet, you’ll want to save this for when it is, and don’t forget to let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or tag in a pic of your Firehouse Taco Salad on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.

Print Firehouse Taco Salad – Vegan Style! Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Total Time 20 minutes Servings 4 meal-sized salads Ingredients 1 package Gardein Beefless Ground or vegan “beef” crumbles of choice

1 large head iceberg lettuce chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed

2 cups tomatoes diced

1 cup dairy-free cheddar shreds

1/2 bunch radishes sliced

5 green onions chopped

3/4 cup green taco sauce (La Victoria or something similar) plus more for serving, if desired

1/2 cup Italian dressing (ensure vegan) plus more for serving, if desired

4 handfuls vegan cheesy tortilla chips or flavored tortilla chips of choice We like *Forager Cheezy Greens and Doritos Blaze (yes! they’re vegan!)

drizzle cooking oil of choice Instructions Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle with oil. Once hot, at the Beefless Ground and sauté until browned. Remove from heat.

Add all of the produce, the browned Beefless Ground, kidney beans, and vegan cheddar shreds to a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the taco sauce with the Italian dressing. Add the dressing mixture to the large bowl and toss the salad until everything is well combined.

Divide salad onto four large plates (you may have extra). Before enjoying, crumble a handful of flavored tortilla chips over the top of the salad. If desired, add more dressing (I like extra taco sauce). Enjoy! Notes The Forager bags do not contain a lot of chips inside and you may need two bags.

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