A fresh and flavorful Mexican salad recipe surrounded by baked tortilla strips and topped with a homemade chipotle dressing. Easy to make and even more delicious to eat!
What I love about this recipe is that it’s perfect for both lunch and dinner. You can enjoy it as a main meal or serve as a side dish alongside your favorite Mexican foods like beef tacos, chicken enchiladas or chicken fajitas. It’s so versatile and delicious!
This Mexican salad is so easy to make and tastes incredibly fresh! It’s super flavorful and refreshing, making it perfect for summer. And it’s also great for using all of those fresh garden vegetables and farmer’s market produce.
I love the creamy chipotle dressing and the smoky flavor it adds. Plus the homemade tortilla strips are so easy to make and give it the perfect crunch. This salad is great for meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday. It’s a double win! This is definitely a new family favorite and will be put on the meal rotation for sure!
How to make a mexican salad
- Tortilla strips. The first component of this dish is the homemade tortilla strips. If you’ve never made your own, they are so easy to make at home! All you need is flour tortillas, oil and salt. Spray each side of the tortillas with oil, then slice into 1/4″ strips. Place in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and season with salt. Then bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Make sure to flip halfway through so that both sides get crispy.
- Dressing. Next up is the creamy chipotle dressing. It’s super easy to make and adds great flavor to the salad. To make, simply combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Then pulse until creamy and smooth.
- Assembly. Add the chopped vegetables, corn and black beans to a large bowl. Pour the chipotle dressing over the bowl of vegetables and toss until coated. You can top the salad with the tortilla strips or serve on the side.
Tips + modifications
- Spice level. Since I used chipotle peppers in the dressing, I used mild taco seasoning and salsa. You could definitely use a medium or hot version of each, depending on your heat preference.
- Dressing. You can lighten up the dressing by using plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream (or even light sour cream). A cilantro lime dressing would also taste great, as well as avocado lime dressing or salsa ranch.
- Protein. For extra protein, try adding shredded chicken or taco meat.
- Corn. You can use fresh corn instead of canned if preferred. Grilled corn in the summer adds amazing flavor. You can also easily cook corn on the cob in the microwave in just a few quick minutes.
- Tortilla strips. Store bought work great too, or even crushed tortilla chips for more crunch.
- Extra toppings. Feel free to add extra toppings like roasted sweet potatoes, cilantro lime rice or cotija cheese.
- Use leftovers. This salad is perfect for using up any leftover black bean and corn salsa. Just add the bean salsa over some chopped lettuce, then add the chopped avocado, chipotle dressing and tortilla strips. Easy peasy!
More Mexican salad recipes:
Mexican Salad
Ingredients
- 10 6-inch flour tortillas
- 1 head romaine lettuce , chopped
- 15 ounce can sweet corn , whole kernels
- 15 ounce can black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes , quartered
- 1 orange pepper , diced
- 1/2 medium red onion , chopped
- 1 ripe avocado , diced
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons salsa
- 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro , chopped
- 2/3 cup sour cream , light is fine
- 1 Tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 lime , juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray both sides of tortillas with non-stick cooking spray. Align prepared tortillas in an even stack and cut down the middle. Dice the halves into about 1/4″ strips. Arrange strips in a single layer on a silpat lined baking sheet. Season with salt to taste. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown, flipping the strips once during baking.
- While the tortilla strips are baking, chop lettuce, tomatoes, orange pepper, onion and avocado. Drain and rinse the corn and black beans. Add chopped vegetables, corn and black beans to a large bowl.
- In a blender or food processor, combine cilantro, sour cream, chipotle in adobo, lime juice, taco seasoning and salsa. Pulse chipotle salad dressing until creamy and smooth.
- Pour the chipotle dressing over the bowl of vegetables and toss until coated. You can top the salad with the tortilla strips or serve on the side. This salad is served best cold.
Notes
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Does the salsa go into the salad or the dressing? It’s on the list but never in the directions.
Sorry, I should learn to read better. It goes into the dressing. Again, I apologize.
No worries, Debra! :)
Excellent
Jamielyn, this is one of my all-time favorite salads! That dressing!
I couldn’t wait for Taco Tuesday, I had to make this immediately! It is so delicious! This will be a frequent flyer at our house!
So glad to hear your family enjoyed it :)
Making this recipe to have for lunches next week! Looks so colorful and healthy – I’ll use light sour cream and omit the tortilla, then use all the other ingredients. Lots of fiber, so it should be filling and I especially love that it is vegetarian. Thanks!
my kind of salad and I love the vibrant colors in this!
This was a great recipe! The flavors blend wonderfully and it was very colorful. We took it for a pot luck dinner and it was a big hit! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Totally adding this to my dinner menu!
That dressing sounds amazing! I love all the colors in this salad!
Always looking for a tasty salad that is so simple.