Southwestern Chopped Salad is a party on a platter! Filling, fresh, and colorful, this entree salad recipe will liven up your dinner table.
Confession: my friends and I were regulars at all the chains in high school.
TGI Fridays, Carlos o’Kelly’s, CHILI’S – nothing was safe! I re-created Chili’s spicy, slightly-thick bowls of Chicken Tortilla Soup many years ago, and am back with another copycat recipe that I used to order there on the regular: Southwestern Chopped Salad (though they call theirs Sante Fe Chicken Salad.)
Regardless of what you’re calling it, this salad is still stuffed with all the same tasty ingredients!
A base of thinly shredded romaine lettuce is tossed with local sweet corn, creamy black beans and avocado, plus fresh pico de gallo and crushed blue corn tortilla chips which not only add a fabulous color to this beautiful dish, but a salty, satisfying crunch. While Chili’s drizzles their salad with ranch dressing plus a spicy santa fe sauce, to keep things simple and low-fuss I dressed my salad in Salsa Ranch Dressing aka salsa mixed with, you guessed it, ranch dressing.
It’s the simple life over here, folks, won’t you join me?!
I’m telling you, this dish is a treat to eat. Savory, sweet, fresh, crunchy, creamy – totally interesting. Since this salad has black beans for protein and is enormous, I kept it meatless, but if you want to divy up the recipe amongst four people instead of two or three, add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak on top and you’re set!
Start by mixing up a batch of fresh Pico de Gallo. Before making my own PdG I was totally indifferent about the oft overlooked condiment served in tiny plastic cups next to burritos and nachos which, in my experience, almost always went untouched. Homemade PdG though? INSANE. Ridiculously good in this salad and/or dunked into with tortilla chips. It’s just a mix of chopped tomatoes, white onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Simple ingredients, tons of flavor.
Add your desired amount of pico de gallo (aka what’s left after attacking it with chips) to a big bowl with 9oz shredded or chopped romaine lettuce, the kernels from 2 ears sweet corn, and 1/2 cup black beans then toss to combine.
Last step is to add 1 chopped avocado and a couple handfuls of crushed blue corn tortilla chips then drizzle with Salsa Ranch Dressing and toss again to combine. Scoop onto plates then dig in! I hope you enjoy this fresh and colorful summer feast!
Ingredients
- 9 oz shredded or chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels sliced from cobs
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1 avocado, chopped
- Handful blue corn tortilla chips, crushed
- Ranch dressing
- Salsa
For the Pico de Gallo:
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 small white onion, minced
- 1/2 jalapeƱo, or more or less, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro, chopped
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt
Directions
- Combine ingredients for the Pico de Gallo in a small bowl then set aside. Can be done a day ahead of time.
- Stir together desired amounts of Ranch dressing and salsa (I used roughly 50/50 ratios) in a small bowl to create Salsa-Ranch dressing, then set aside.
- Add romaine, sweet corn, black beans, and desired amount of pico de gallo to a large bowl then toss to combine. Add avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and Salsa-Ranch dressing then toss again to combine. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Do you have suggestions for salsa and ranch brands that work well here?
I personally prefer my homemade salsa or if you’re local Graddy’s is amazing. Otherwise, in terms of canned, I like Clint’s. For ranch dressing, again I love my own recipe. For bottled I like Tessemae’s, or Ken’s ranch!
https://iowagirleats.com/restaurant-style-salsa/
https://iowagirleats.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-recipe/
Is the corn cut fresh off the cob and not cooked?
Yes, it’s raw! Though you can grill or steam the corn first if you prefer.
I grilled the fresh corn first then cut it off the cob. Was wonderful! A little lime squeeze for a dash of zing was great! It was wonderful!
Great ideas, Paula! Iām so glad you loved it!
That salad looks so awesome
How is ranch dressing dairy free? Not asking sarcastically. I want to make/find it for real.
Hi Tamara! I love Tessemae’s Creamy Ranch or Paleo Kitchen’s ranch dressings, which are both DF!
Wow it really looks great
This is super similar to my favorite salad at my local mexican joint! Except they add freshly shredded gouda….its sooo good!
Ća a l’air dĆ©licieux! Looks delicious!
Can I use sweet vidalias instead of the white onion? I’d rather not have to go to the store in this heat :)
Definitely! Stay cool!
Carlos O’Kellys!! Add that to the list of foods I miss from Iowa: Hy-Vee, Maid-Rite, pork tenderloins, A&E French Onion dip, bucket loads of morels…
One of the saddest moments of my life (being slightly dramatic here,) was when I realized AE dips aren’t gluten-free. Sosososososososo amazing.
I made this salad tonight for a dinner party and everyone LOVED it! The ranch/salsa dressing really made the dish. I also love that your trips to the South have rubbed off on you. We love our low country boils! Glad to see you had a good birthday (besides your cold).
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Elizabeth!! Thanks so much for the feedback! :)
I’ve made this so many times since first seeing it on your blog. Such good flavors and the crunch from chips and fresh corn! Yum! I’ve always made my own dressing but will try the ranch/salsa dressing.
Happy Belated Birthday. Sorry about the cold. (I was bragging I didn’t get my usual upper respiratory infection this winter…Karma bite me in the butt….Have had if 3 weeks now) I second the motion about posting the crab boil recipe. Pretty please, with sugar on top – could you share your recipe for home made Old Bay Seasoning. Would LOVE to have it. Thanks!!