This Southwest Chopped Salad is a fun, festive, and refreshingly delicious salad that’s intensely bright and colorful, both in looks and flavor. Tthe dressing is fresh, zesty, and delicious! This Southwest Chopped Salad is a great way to get your greens, oranges, yellows, and protein! In This Article Why This Recipe Stands OutKey Recipe IngredientsSubstitutions And VariationsStep-By-Step Recipe InstructionsHow To Prep AheadWhat To Serve With Southwest Chopped SaladCommonly Asked QuestionsSouthwest Chopped Salad RecipeMore to Cook And Eat View more This post may contain affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Why This Recipe Stands Out We love a good salad recipe, and this Southwest Chopped Salad is a winner. The combination of flavors and textures in this salad is just amazing. Here’s why we love it: Phenomenal Dressing: This creamy cilantro lime dressing is dreamy. It’s refreshing and light, despite being creamy. It doesn’t feel or taste heavy at all, like our Poppyseed Dressing. Vibrant Colors: This Southwestern chopped salad has the most beautiful vibrant colors with bright, festive, zesty, and tangy flavors. It reminds us of our Broccoli Apple Salad! Lunch Envy: It’ll create some healthy lunch envy if you bring it to work. It’s the perfect healthy dinner; add grilled chicken to make it heartier. Balanced Flavors: The cilantro doesn’t overpower the flavors, but lends a nice earthiness. Lime ensures a zesty tang, and honey gives it that sweetness to balance it all out. Make-Ahead Friendly: The ingredients can easily be chopped and prepared ahead of time and mixed up just before serving. It’s the perfect recipe for meal prep. Key Recipe Ingredients Romaine Lettuce – The base of our salad, romaine lettuce, provides a satisfying crunch and is a great source of vitamins and minerals. Black Beans – We love the meaty texture and earthy flavor of black beans. They also add a good dose of protein and fiber to the salad. Greek Yogurt – The dressing is made with plain whole Greek yogurt, which adds a creamy tanginess and a boost of protein. Corn – We use frozen or canned corn for its sweet, juicy kernels that add a pop of color and flavor to the salad. Honey – Just a touch of honey in the dressing balances out the tangy lime and yogurt, resulting in a perfectly sweet and savory flavor. Substitutions And Variations Here are some of our favorite substitutions and variations for this recipe: Greens: While we love the crunch of romaine lettuce, feel free to use any other type of lettuce or mixed greens as the base of this salad. Beans: Chickpeas or kidney beans would make great substitutes for black beans. Vinegar: If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, you can substitute it with apple cider vinegar. Other Veggies: You can easily add any other veggie you have at home to this salad, and it’ll taste just as amazing. Grains: If you want to make this salad a bit heartier, you can add some cooked grains to it. Quinoa, farro, and especially barley would work great as in our Southwestern Barley Salad. Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to your preference and refrigerate in an airtight container. Chop and combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Top with crispy tortilla strips if desired. Serve immediately. For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below. How To Prep Ahead Take a look at our favorite prep-ahead strategies for this recipe: Prep the Veggies: You can wash, dry, and chop the romaine lettuce, seed, and chop the orange bell pepper, and slice the grape tomatoes in half several days in advance. Store each vegetable in a separate airtight container with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Make the Dressing: The dressing for this salad can be made up to several days ahead. Simply blend all the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy, then transfer it to an airtight container and keep it chilled until you’re ready to use it. This Southwest Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing has the most beautiful vibrant colors. What To Serve With Southwest Chopped Salad Protein This salad is a great side dish to any grilled or roasted protein. Try serving it with Grilled Chicken Legs and Air Fryer Salmon. You can also add some protein directly into the salad. Marinated Grilled Shrimp or shredded Crockpot Whole Chicken would be great options Sandwiches This salad also goes great with a tasty sandwich on the side. Try it with a grilled panini sandwich or some chopped egg and bacon sandwiches for a filling meal. Commonly Asked Questions Can I use fresh corn instead of frozen or canned? Absolutely! You can use fresh corn if it’s in season. Simply cut the kernels off the cob and add them directly to the salad. No need to cook the corn beforehand. What if I don’t have white balsamic vinegar? If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, you can substitute it with apple cider vinegar. The flavor may vary slightly, but it will still be delicious. How long does the Southwest Chopped Salad keep? The assembled salad without dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, once the dressing is added, it’s best to consume the salad on the same day to maintain its freshness. Print Southwest Chopped Salad This Southwest Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing is intensely bright and colorful, both in looks and in flavor! The flavors are fresh, zesty, and delicious. Most of the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and assembled right before serving. Course Main, SideCuisine Mexican American, Tex-MexDiet Gluten Free, VegetarianMethod Mixing Prep Time 15 minutes minutesTotal Time 15 minutes minutes Servings 8 Calories 182kcal Author Amy Dong IngredientsFor the Salad:1 large head romaine lettuce washed/dried and roughly chopped15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained well1 large orange bell pepper seeded and chopped1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half2 cups frozen or canned corn drained2 stalks green onions thinly slicedtortilla strips crispy, for topping (optional)For the Dressing:1 cup cilantro leaves⅔ cup plain whole Greek yogurt2 TB freshly squeezed lime juice1 large clove garlic2 TB extra virgin olive oil2 tsp white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar3 TB pure honey½ tsp cumin¼ tsp table salt¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper InstructionsIn a blender or food processor, blend all dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add more seasonings to taste. Transfer to airtight container and keep chilled.In a large salad bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Gently toss to combine. Toss in the desired amount of salad dressing to coat. Top with crispy tortilla strips if desired. Serve immediately. Notes This salad is best when eaten soon after the dressing is added. If you know you will have leftovers, store the dressing and salad separately, and only dress the portion you will be eating. The dressing can be made days ahead of time. All of the salad ingredients (excluding the lettuce) can be prepped and stored ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, simply chop the romaine and toss everything together. When chopping the orange bell pepper, make sure to remove the seeds and inner membranes. This will prevent the salad from becoming bitter and will give you a sweeter, more enjoyable pepper flavor. Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of white balsamic vinegar.  You can add a few dashes of ground chili or cayenne to the dressing if you’d like a bit of a kick.  Adding crispy tortilla strips just before serving keeps them crunchy and provides a tasty contrast to the other salad ingredients. This recipe is part of our Vegetable Recipes Collection. Serve this Southwest Chopped Salad as a side dish with your favorite protein, such as our Grilled Chicken Legs and Air Fryer Salmon.   If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We hearing from you!  Join our Free Recipe Club and get our newest, best recipes each week! NutritionCalories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 675mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 8223IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg More to Cook And Eat Farro Salad – This Farro Salad is hearty, toothsome, and nutritious. It makes a satisfying lunch for home, work, or school. Also deliciously healthy for dinner. Crunchy Thai Salad – This Crunchy Thai Salad holds up to its name; it’s full of crunchy goodies and tossed with the most amazing dressing…you’ll keep coming back for more. Rotisserie Chicken Salad – This Rotisserie Chicken Salad is healthier than most, without compromising a bit of flavor. Minimal effort with delicious results. Southwestern Barley Salad – This Southwestern Barley Salad is healthy, wholesome, and packed with flavor! It’s refreshing with lime and cilantro; perfect for the season. 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