Tex Mex Salad
Published Sep 27, 2024
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I make a lot of salads, but without a doubt, this Tex Mex salad is my favorite. Whether you’re looking for a side dish for your next taco or enchilada night or a taco salad that can stand on its own, this one chipotle-lime dressing will keep everyone coming back for more.
There’s pretty much never a wrong time for a Tex Mex salad. When in doubt, this is a salad that will please absolutely everyone around your table. With so much color, flavor, and texture and a zippy citrus lime dressing, it stands up all on its own or makes a great side dish to your favorite Tex Mex dishes.
Besides the amazing mix of flavors and textures, there are many so options for substitutes and changes. I listed a few of my favorites right below.
And if you’re looking for ways to serve this salad, I’ve got ideas:
- Serve it all on its own for lunch
- Top it with blackened salmon, blackened chicken, or lemon garlic shrimp
- Serve it as a side dish (you can skip the black beans for a lighter salad) to tacos – cauliflower tacos, shiitake tacos, sweet potato tacos, or sheet pan tacos
- Serve it alongside these vegetarian enchiladas
- Serve it with Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers
Variations on Tex Mex Salad
- Make it a chicken chopped salad by adding shredded cooked chicken (a great place to use rotisserie chicken)
- Add chopped red onion
- Swap in pinto beans or chickpeas instead of black beans
- Use your favorite store-bought citrusy salad dressing
- Serve the chips on the side for scooping
- Serve it over a bowl of brown or white rice to give it that burrito bowl vibe
- Roll it into a large tortilla to make it a wrap
How to Make A Tex Mex Salad
- Make a quick chili lime vinaigrette (or grab your favorite store-bought dressing).
- Sear the corn in a heated skillet until golden and caramelized. If you’re in a rush, you can absolutely skip this step, but it gives the corn great flavor. Add in the beans to warm them up and then combine both ingredients with a bit of the vinaigrette to build flavor.
- In a large bowl, toss together all of the other ingredients – bell pepper, cheddar cheese, romaine, green onions, avocado, and tomatoes to the bowl. Add the corn and beans last.
- Toss in tortilla chips / strips right before serving.
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Ingredients
For the dressing:
- Lime Juice – Zippy lime juice is the acid component in the dressing. Give your lime a firm roll on the kitchen counter before juicing to release some of the juices before you slice it.
- Honey – A little sweetness balances the other flavors in the dressing. Sweet and sour work well with this salad.
- Paprika, Ground Cumin, Kosher Salt – A pretty classic, basic combination of Tex Mex flavors here. If you like spice, feel free to add some hot sauce or chili powder.
- Cooking Oil or Olive Oil – You can use any oil for the salad dressing. Neutral olive oil, avocado oil, or traditional vegetable oil are all you need.
For the salad:
- Corn Kernels – Plump corn kernels add a pop of bright yellow color and a bit of natural sweetness. Searing these until they’re lightly caramelized and browned in spots gives the entire salad a smoky, seared flavor.
- Black Beans – Tender black beans add texture to the salad bowls and make it hearty enough to be served as a meal. You can skip this for something lighter or add in chopped shredded chicken or another bean like pinto or chickpeas.
- Red Bell Pepper – For flavor, crunch, and color. Orange and yellow bell pepper also work.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – A little cheese in a Tex Mex salad gives it texture and flavor. If you don’t have shredded cheddar, you can also use a Mexican cheese blend, Monterey Jack, or Cotija.
- Romaine Hearts – Romaine hearts are the super crispy leaves in the center of a head of Romaine lettuce. Any salad greens will work, but I love the crunch of Romaine.
- Green Onions – Green onion stalks have a sharp, peppery taste to them that really complements the fresh veggies, sweet corn, and acidic tomatoes. Cilantro is a great choice here as well.
- Avocado – Creamy pieces of cubed avocado give the salad a guacamole-like element.
- Tomatoes – Compact and hearty Roma tomatoes are recommended in this recipe because their low water content makes them easy to chop, but any kind of tomato will work.
- Tortilla Strips or Crushed Tortilla Chips – Salty, crunchy tortilla chips are the key to a great Tex Mex Salad. I love to use the lime-flavored chips.
Make Ahead
Tex Mex salad is best enjoyed the day it’s made for optimal crunchiness, but you can all of the ingredients ahead of time. Just keep them separate and toss everything together right before serving.. The salad dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance, and stored in an airtight container. Mason jars work great.
Recipe Tips
- To quickly make the salad dressing, combine all of these ingredients in a well-sealed jar and shake to combine.
- Feel free to skip searing the corn and black beans to save time (or look for frozen seared corn which still has that nice blackened flavor and color).
- If serving Tex Mex salad as a side dish, you can skip the heartier ingredients like the black beans and avocado.
- If prepping ahead, you can skip the avocado since it will brown as it sits.
Variations
- Add protein – Shredded cooked chicken is great tossed right into the salad. Other proteins would be great on top like fish, seared steak, grilled shrimp or salmon skewers or even ground meats that are cooked with some taco seasoning.
- Try a different dressing – If you like creamy dressings, try ranch dressing or chipotle dressing. Or just use your favorite store-bought variety. Anything with citrus flavors would be great.
- Make it spicy – Add a dash of chili powder to the dressing for a little kick of heat.
FAQs
Like most chopped salads, a Tex Mex chopped salad is best served immediately. You can prep all of the ingredients ahead of time, but keep them separate until right before serving. The chips in this salad will get soggy fast, so be sure you add the last and toss them in right before you enjoy it.
Tex Mex salad can either be the star of the show, or served as a side dish. Serving this salad as a side dish alongside fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, taquitos, or as part of a salad bar allows everyone to sample lots of different Tex Mex flavors.
More Tex Mex Favorites
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Tex Mex Salad
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl or Mason Jar
- Heavy Bottomed Skillet
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup lime juice (from 2 to 3 large limes)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cooking oil or olive oil
For the salad:
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil or olive oil
- 2 cups corn kernels (if using frozen corn, defrost it in the microwave before using)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 hearts romaine, finely chopped
- 3 stalks green onions, chopped
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Make the dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey, paprika, ground cumin, and salt. Add ½ cup of oil and whisk well until evenly combined. (Alternatively, you can just combine all of these ingredients in a well-sealed jar and shake it well.)
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the corn kernels in a single layer. Let the corn cook, without stirring, until deep golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes. (If it starts to pop and jump out of the pan, it’s probably ready.) Season the corn with ½ teaspoon of salt and stir it once. Add the beans and stir until heated through.
- Transfer the corn and beans to a large mixing bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of the dressing over top and stir everything together. (This will help cool the corn and beans down.)
- To the mixing bowl, add the bell pepper, cheddar cheese, romaine, green onions, avocado, and tomatoes. Gently toss everything together.
- Crumble the tortilla chips / strips over the top of the salad or fold them in right before serving. They’ll add some great crunch, but be sure not to let the salad sit for long after adding them or they won’t stay crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
