Loaded TexMex Salad

I love a good meal salad.  And I love TexMex food.  This salad brings both.

Large enough for two, my Loaded TexMex Salad is a bodacious combo of crisp lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, black beans, avocado, cheese, and a flavorful protein.  I like it dressed with my new favorite TexMex Ranch Dressing, and topped with French fried onions and sunflower seeds.  And if you’re feeling fancy, you can’t go wrong with Cornbread Croutons.

There’s really not much else to say except that you can use any meat you prefer.  I’ve used chicken here, but beef, shrimp, or carnitas all work well.  I used shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken.  I warmed it up in a skillet with taco seasoning and a little water just until the chicken was hot enough to absorb the seasoning.  Whatever you choose, make sure it’s well-seasoned.

As always, make any substitutions you like.  Scallions or diced purple onion for the French fried onion, pinto beans instead of black beans, diced red bell pepper instead of corn–it all works.  If you have pepitas, they are a good substitute for the sunflower seeds.  You might want to add sliced radishes, black olives, pico de gallo, cilantro leaves, pickled jalapenos, or anything else that appeals to you and yours.

If you don’t want to make the homemade TexMex Ranch Dressing, here’s a substitute for that:  stir together 1 ½ cups of commercial ranch dressing, ½ cup of restaurant-style salsa, and the zest and juice of ½ a lime.  This won’t have the light freshness of the homemade version, but it should do in a pinch.

The recipe below makes two large, hearty, meal-size salads, or four to six side salads.  A double recipe of Loaded TexMex Salad is a good centerpiece for a casual dinner party

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Loaded TexMex Salad

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 4 cups chopped romaine
• ½ cup corn kernels
• ½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ a small cucumber, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced, or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, sliced or diced
• ⅓ cup onion--scallions, diced purple onion, or French fried onions
• ¼ cup dry roasted sunflower seeds
• TexMex Ranch Dressing
• Cornbread Croutons or corn chips

Instructions

• Put the shredded chicken in a skillet with the taco seasoning and ¼ cup of water. Heat, stirring, just until the chicken is warm and the seasoning is well distributed.
• Combine lettuce and all the other ingredients except dressing and croutons/chips in a large bowl. Toss. Just before serving add about half the dressing and toss again. Serve with remaining dressing and the croutons.