Southwestern Salad

Make this hearty and satisfying southwest salad for an easy meal perfect for busy weeknights! Protein-packed beans, fresh veggies, and creamy ranch dressing come together fast.

The southwestern salad is my ultimate favorite salad of all time. Back when Mr. Crumbs and I didn’t have kids and spent way too much eating out at restaurants? I always ordered a version of southwest salad.

And if it was topped with a bit of buffalo ranch dressing?

Oh gosh. Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

A beautiful thing happened a couple of weeks ago.

I rummaged through the fridge, took out a bunch of random leftovers, and put together a meal. And not just an okay meal. It was a fill-you-up-without-feeling-stuffed, let’s-make-this-again-soon type of meal. And it was SO good!

I’ve done this before, like when I made Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos out of bits and pieces in the fridge.

But this time, the delicious food that magically appeared in my fridge was a southwest salad.

EASY SOUTHWEST SALAD

Why does my heart love this southwest salad so much? Let me count the ways.

Use up leftovers. It’s perfect when you have leftover food in the fridge, but not a lot of any particular thing.
Versatile. You can add as much of any ingredient as you want, or as much as you have, and it’ll be healthy and delicious either way.
Hearty ingredients. These ingredients aren’t fluff. They are serious food and even the ravenous bike commuter is stuffed.
It’s packed with nutrition. Plenty of protein and healthy fats, plus salad is a great way to eat more veggies!
Salads are a perfect opportunity to try a few new foods, mixed in with a few family favorites.
It’s ready in less than 15 minutes – perfect for those busy nights full of sports practices during the week.

Corn, black beans, cilantro, cheese, diced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, avocado, and chopped romaine lettuce for a southwest salad on a platter plate.

SOUTHWEST SALAD RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Lettuce. Romaine lettuce is my go-to pick here, but iceberg or a mix of greens with spinach and baby kale works too.
Garbanzo Beans (aka chickpeas). I cook dry beans from scratch, but you can use canned chickpeas – just make sure to drain and rinse them!
Black Beans. Again, preferably from scratch, but drained and rinsed if canned.
Corn. Use fresh corn, sweet corn, canned corn, or frozen corn kernels (thawed first).
Tomato. Chopped into bite-sized pieces. Cherry tomatoes are easiest since you just need to cut them in half!
Shredded Cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese is delicious in this southwest salad recipe or use pepper jack cheese for a bit of a kick.
Avocado. Diced into bite-sized pieces.
Fresh Cilantro. Separate ½ of a bunch from the stems and give it a rough chop.
Ranch Dressing. My Homemade Ranch Dressing tastes great with this salad or try one of the other dressing southwest salad ideas below.

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWESTERN SALAD

Step 1. Wash the lettuce. Tear or chop the lettuce into 1″-2″ pieces and place into a large bowl. (Cut smaller if you prefer a southwest chopped salad.)

Hand holding a head of lettuce while the other hand chops the lettuce.

Step 2. Add remaining salad ingredients.

Hand holding a tomato while a knife cuts into it.

Step 3. Drizzle Ranch Dressing over the salad and mix well.

Southwestern salad in a large bowl with homemade ranch dressing drizzled throughout the salad.

Serve southwestern salad with No-Knead Artisan Bread and you’ve got a delicious frugal meal!

SOUTHWEST SALAD IDEAS

Remember that you don’t have to have exact measurements for this recipe – just use whatever you have and omit what you don’t. These recipe variations will get you started!

Add chicken breasts. If you just so happen to have leftover Salsa Chicken from taco night or from a Whole Roasted Chicken, feel free to toss a cup into the mix! If you need to make from fresh, use this Sheet Pan Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast recipe. (Skip the lemon and add fresh limes!)

Add extra veggies to your southwest salad recipe! Green or red peppers, Guacamole, diced red onions, or sliced black olives would all be yummy additions.

Serve with tortilla chips. Adding a bit of crushed tortilla chips or serving some on the side helps the non-salad fans join the salad loving side!

Dressing southwest salad is a fun way to give the same salad a completely new taste. Try one of these southwest salad dressing ideas:

Use a Simple Lemon Vinaigrette
Mix up Ranch Dressing and Buffalo Sauce for a spicy southwest salad.
This Lime Avocado Dressing is amazing. Just whip it up in the blender or food processor. (Don’t skimp on the lime juice!)
Or mix sour cream and salsa for an equally creamy and zesty sauce with a different flavor profile
Use Dairy Free Ranch Dressing and omit the cheese for a dairy-free southwest salad
Blue cheese dressing would be amazing, but I’d skip the cheddar if you go that route.
Or you can try my ultimate favorite dressing combination for southwest salad – blue cheese and buffalo.

Oh. Yes. Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!

RECIPE SOUTHWEST SALAD FAQS

What is the best restaurant southwestern salad?

This homemade version is going to be better than any restaurant version, which is going to be loaded with lots of sodium and preservatives. But you can use those for salad inspiration!

Chik-Fil-A southwest salad uses grape tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese, with poblano and red bell peppers and tortilla strips. The southwest salad at Red Robin has fried jalapeños and a zesty salsa ranch dressing. And the southwest salad at Wendy’s has both chicken and bacon, with creamy smashed avocado.

If one of those is your favorite, recreate it at home!

What is the best recipe southwest salad with chicken?

You can add chicken to this southwest salad or try my Southwest Chicken Salad with a yummy cilantro lime dressing. It’s another tasty variation on the southwest salads I love so much!

Shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, cilantro, black beans, and corn on a platter plate ready to be added to the southwest salad recipe.

MORE YUMMY SALAD RECIPES

I honestly believe that if there’s one food that can fit nearly every type of personality out there, it’s the salad. There are seriously about a million different types of salads out there, so if you find one you don’t like, just try another.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWESTERN SALAD