Mexican Chopped Salad
This refreshing Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette is a marvelous summer entree with fresh corn, jicama, avocados, tomatoes, and more! Add some chicken or shrimp for a hearty meal!
This Mexican Salad is full of cool, fresh ingredients and is the perfect side salad when serving enchiladas, tacos, or any Tex-Mex entree.
Why You Must Make
- This is a delightful salad for the sultry days of summer.
- It’s full of cool, fresh, colorful vegetables, black beans, and Mexican cheese, and dressed in a cilantro, lime vinaigrette with a slight kick!
- This is one of my go-to dishes to take to friends who need a meal, especially when the weather has been hot and miserably humid.
Recipe Tips
- If you’re not going to eat this salad in one sitting, just put the dressing on what you plan to eat. The greens will get soggy sitting in the salad dressing so the leftovers will taste better if freshly dressed.
- If you don’t like cilantro, there are other herbs you can use instead. See the Frequently Asked Questions below for suggestions.
- Feel free to add, remove or substitute any ingredients. You can use cubes of Monterey Jack or Sharp Cheddar instead of the Queso Fresco or Iceberg lettuce instead of Romaine.
- PRO-Tip: Mix the salad dressings right in a liquid measuring cup. From there, it’s easy to pour into a container or right onto the salad.
- When making the dressing, slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously. This will help to emulsify the salad dressing, making it creamy and homogenous and less likely to separate into two layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
A chopped salad is a side dish in which all the components are cut into bite-sized pieces. The ingredients often consist of greens, vegetables, and even cheese, fruit, and nuts. It can be served mixed in a bowl or composed (components separated) or on a platter, board or tray.
By adding some more protein, you can make this salad into a main dish. There is already cheese, but adding grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp or even leftover beef would make this a dinner-worthy salad.
If you are someone who gets tastes a soapy flavor when eating cilantro, try using another herb instead. Parsley, Thai Basil, Dill, or even Mexican Oregano are good replacements for cilantro. Go light on the oregano if using, taste, then add more if needed.
You can store your chopped salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s best not to toss all the salad with the dressing as the leftovers will get soggy. Store the salad ingredients and dressing in separate containers. Add a paper towel to the bottom of the salad container to absorb any excess moisture.
Light dressings like a vinaigrette or Italian dressing seem to be the norm. But if your family loves Ranch dressing, for example, feel free to serve it with Ranch!
You May Also Like
- Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (Gluten-Free) from The Heritage Cook
- Italian Chopped Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
- Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad
- Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad
- Plus, all my Best Salad Recipes
Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
A marvelous summer salad adapted from Self Magazine
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 ½ cups shredded (or chopped) romaine lettuce
- 1 can black beans (12.5 ounces), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup chopped, peeled jicama
- ¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (or fresh sweet corn taken off the cob)
- Whole ripe avocado, diced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- ¼-½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
Dressing::
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons, chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon minced jalapeno
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Mix dressing ingredients in a glass jar or measuring cup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour dressing over salad, mix, and serve.
Notes
If you don't like cilantro, you can use chopped parsley, Thai basil or half as much oregano.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 379mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 9gSugar: 9gProtein: 9g
66 Comments on “Mexican Chopped Salad”
This is a very timely recipe for me, I am officially on “skinny patrol” after my week of New York restaurants and indulging… I love recipes that are both healthy and flavorful, like this one. 🙂
I love all the variety and colors, very nice salad. And the first pic is awesome, reminds me of a salad niçoise
great idea! I love all the ingredients..yum for summer!
This look wonderful.
Cindy B.
cindyskitchen@yahoo.com
Beautifully presented. I’m loving fresh summer salads at the moment.
This looks so good, especially the dressing.
That tomato tart is unbelievably pretty, Lizzy, and it looks divine. Paired with this salad (love the deconstructed serving platter idea) with the beans and the chilli in the dressing = perfection. Nice to highlight the “lighter” protein options also…I think people forget that beans actually pack quite a protein bang for their buck!
Lizzy…this is so colorful…truly mexican salad and I love the dressing for this salad 🙂 thanks for sharing this colorful salad 🙂
Wow, this salad is beautiful Lizzy! Great colors and Im sure tastes amazing!
This is a beautiful salad! Its just calling me to have a big bowl. It does look perfect for a summer dinner and all of the flavors sound wonderful together!
Your presentation is beautiful.Lisa~~ Cook Lisa Cook
Lizzy-this salad is absolutely splendid for these hot summer days. So colorful, and beautiful. I love the queso cheese you added, and the perfect combinations of the veggies.
Glad you added yourself on this creation…you deserve a lot of credit, and praise for this, my dear friend:D
xoxo
I love this dressing. I love your top picture with all the beautiful colors on the platter.
I like how all your components are lined up alongside each other. Great colors!
Hi Lizzy! Oh my, this looks perfect right now. It has been SO SO hot here in Austin. We need cool dinner options like this. Thank you for sharing, my friend. I’m hungry and wishing I could have THIS for dinner. Blessings and love from Austin!
Our husbands should meet. They could discuss substantial protein. As for me, I am a sucker for salads and don’t even get me started on the virtues of cilantro.
I couldn’t resist making Mexican yesterday either! It’s just so refreshing and perfect for those summer days. Your chopped salad looks so gorgeous! All the colors and the perfectly cut veggies make it look so enticing.
LOVE the presentation in the first pic!!! I want that salad NOW!
I have to thank you so much because now I know what I’m preparing for dinner tonight – brilliant!
Mary
I absolutely love a chunky Mexican style salad! It’s one of my favorites at Chevy’s but I would so much rather make my own! Thanks for sharing 🙂