Sweet & Spicy Taco Salad

I love taco salad but I hate buying those packets of taco seasoning from the store. Half the ingredients are things I can't even pronounce and the other half are spices that almost everyone keeps in the pantry. After tweaking this recipe a bit, I think I found the perfect balance of sweet with a gentle heat. I prefer to use lean ground pork but beef would work just fine. Just make sure you drain the extra grease.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  lb  ground lean pork
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  small onion
• 2  teaspoons ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 -2  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you like)
• 1⁄2-3⁄4 cup  Catalina dressing
• 1⁄2-1  teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce (I like Frank's original)
• 1 (12 1/2ounce) bag  nacho cheese flavor Doritos
• 2  cups  shredded cheddar cheese
• 4  cups lettuce, chopped or shredded (about 1/2 a head)
• 1  tomatoes, diced

• Garnish

•  sour cream (optional)
•  black olives (optional)
•  jalapeno (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add pork, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook until pork is no longer pink.
3. Add Catalina dressing and hot sauce. Taste sauce and adjust sweet/spicy to taste.
4. Raise heat to HIGH and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 1-2 minutes.
5. Crush Doritos on a plate (I normally plate this individually but you could serve family style on a platter as well), top with meat mixture, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Garnish as desired.
6. Enjoy!