Southwest Salad

Chopped Southwest Salad Recipe is a vegan version of a popular summer salad loaded with vegetables and black beans, all chopped into perfect bite-sized pieces with two dressing options to choose from.

When summer approaches, I crave refreshing salads. Chopped southwest salad, for instance, is one of my favorite salad recipes. But, of course, my chopped southwest salad is vegan, full of vibrant vegetables, and the southwest tastes. To 'veganize' a typical southwest salad recipe and make it oil-free, I used the freshest ingredients and provided two options for delicious southwest dressing recipes. 

Jump to:

• What is a Chopped Salad?
• Southwest Chopped Salad Ingredients
• Southwest Chopped Salad Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Grill Corn
• How to Make Air Fryer Tortilla Strips
• Recipe Variations
• Two Salad Dressing Options
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• More Salad Recipes to Enjoy
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

So, let's make a fabulous chopped southwest salad full of veggies, beans, and everything excellent! 

What is a Chopped Salad?

There's no denying the fact that people get bored with salads. No matter how many combinations of greens, toppings, and dressing, a healthy salad competes with everything else. But since we need to eat our veggies, I'm thankful for chopped salads to help mix things up.

Chopped salads are just like regular salads, with a different presentation; the ingredients are chopped, greens and all, and incorporated together instead of layered. Although this detail may not sound important, chopped salads taste better. 

Because chopped salads cost a small fortune at salad shops, why not save some money and make your own?

Chopped southwest salad, for example, tastes better chopped! 

Southwest Chopped Salad Ingredients

• Romaine lettuce: Romaine lettuce is crisp, succulent, and crunchy with a mild, slightly bitter taste. I like Romaine for chopped salads because it's sturdy and stays crisp when chopped.
• Red onion: I find red onion's flavor perfect for this recipe. 
• Cucumber: I like to leave the skin on the cucumber for nutritional value, crunch, and color.
• Red bell pepper: The sweetest of bell peppers, red bell peppers are great with this salad recipe for both color and flavor.
• Grilled corn on the cob: Grilled corn has a smokey and richer flavor when added to a salad.
• Jalapeno: I always add jalapeno to my Southwest dishes for a little spicy love. However, be careful to remove the seeds and always wear gloves when handling jalapenos.
• Black Beans: What goes better with a southwest salad than black beans? Meaty and sturdy, black beans taste great in this southwest salad recipe.
• Chopped Avocado: Avocado provides a creamy, rich, and fresh taste to the salad. But, ensure you don't add the avocado until right before serving, so it doesn't turn brown.
• Tri-colored Grape Tomatoes: Adds tremendous acidic flavor and color to the salad.
• Air-fried oil-free tortilla strips: Optional, but such a great addition to this recipe. The air-fried tortilla strips are oil-free and give the salad an additional crunch.

I also use air-fried tortilla strips in Vegan Tortilla Soup for a little extra crunch on top of my soup.

Southwest Chopped Salad Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose canned or frozen corn instead of grilled corn.
• Add ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke to the canned or frozen cooked corn for the smokey flavor.
• Substitute pinto beans with black beans. Pinto beans are larger and milder than black beans and work well in Southwest recipes.
• Buy tortilla chips instead of making your own.
• White onion is a bit more pungent in the salad if you prefer a more robust onion flavor.
• If you are sensitive to spice, skip the jalapeno peppers.
• Cherry tomatoes are an excellent substitute for grape tomatoes, as they have fewer seeds.
• Kale is a great sturdy green, but I recommend chopping it finely for the best results.

How to Grill Corn

Because I prefer to meal plan, I grilled other corn on the cob for another meal during the week. Then, when the corn was cool, I cut it from the cob to use in the chopped southwest salad recipe. However, substitute canned or frozen corn if fresh corn isn't available. But I love the taste of grilled corn. 

First, I love to marinate my corn on the corn. Although this might sound odd, marinating corn provides deep flavors. Like my Mexican Street Corn, I marinated the corn with fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and a little hot sauce overnight. 

Once the corn is marinated, prepare the grill to 500 degrees. Although most grilled corn recipes suggest leaving on the husks, you have marinated the corn, preventing it from drying. On the other hand, taking the husks off also gives the ears of corn beautiful charred grill marks. 

Place the corn on a hot grill because you don't want the grill to heat up while the corn is on the grill. If you don't have a temperature gauge, a quick tip is to wait about 10 minutes to preheat the grill. 

Then, cover the grill, turning the corn occasionally for about 15 minutes, rotating to ensure all sides of the corn are grilled. 

Furthermore, grilling the corn adds richness, and a slight charring helps elevate the flavors.

How to Make Air Fryer Tortilla Strips

Even though tortilla chips are usually used in and on top of the chopped southwest salad, I wanted to make them oil-free. So, again, make oil-free tortilla strips ahead of time in the air-fryer to save time.

For my vegan tortilla soup, I used gluten-free corn tortillas. For my chopped southwest salad recipe, though, I decided to use flour tortillas. Regardless of your tortilla choice, they cook the same way, crispy, delicious, and oil-free. 

First, I chose flour tortillas and a pizza cutter; I cut the tortilla into thin strips. Then, I added the cut tortillas into a bowl and tossed them in lime juice, chili powder, salt, and garlic powder. The key is tossing in the lime juice and wetting the tortillas so the seasoning will stick. 

Once seasoned, I add it to my air-fryer basket and cook at 370 degrees for 10 minutes, tossing once at the 5 minutes mark. 

Recipe Variations

• Recently, I  reviewed Alpha Strips Grilled Chik'n Strips, which my boys loved! Since traditional southwest salad usually includes chicken, these faux chicken strips are an option if you enjoy faux meat.
• Another idea is to include your favorite grilled tofu recipe for added protein. BBQ Tofu, for instance, would be a perfect topping for chopped southwest salad. 

Two Salad Dressing Options

Salad dressing, for instance, makes or breaks a salad, in my opinion. However, because some people don't like to use nuts in cooking, I provide different southwest dressings I love.

First, my vegan southwest dressing is a perfect option and easy to make. 

Southwest Dressing Ingredients

This dressing option is quick and easy and takes a few minutes to throw together.

• Raw cashews: Cashews provide a creamy vegan base to a dressing instead of vegan mayonnaise.
• Fresh salsa (your favorite salsa): Choose your favorite salsa. I like it spicy, so I choose my favorite brand of fresh spicy salsa from the grocery store. But jarred salsa works as well.
• Lime juice: The lime juice gives the dressing a fresh taste and citrus component.
• Water: The water is used for thinning the dressing.

Avocado Cilantro Dressing Ingredients

• Avocados: The avocado is the creamy base of this dressing as a nut-free option.
• Cilantro: Cilantro is said to have a fresh, citrusy taste. Although, for some people, it tastes like soap. I love cilantro in every Southwest recipe, but you can always leave it out.
• Lime: The lime juice gives the dressing a fresh taste and citrus component.
• Garlic: Garlic adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the dressing.
• Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds a tangy zing to the dressing and works well with all the ingredients.
• Water: The water is used for thinning the dressing.
• Garlic powder
• Cumin: Cumin is earthy with a hint of warm spice. Always add small amounts and taste to reach individual taste preferences.
• Sea salt: Add to taste preference
• Fresh ground pepper: Add to taste preference

Both dressing options, however, are simple to make and only require a high-speed blender. 

Then, it would be best to decide what flavor you feel.

My husband, who likes both, used a combination of both dressings on his salad.  

On the other hand, I chose the southwest dressing because it was new, and I have to ensure it's good before suggesting you try it. 

Furthermore, I plan to serve my vegan cornbread recipe as a side and the chopped southwest salad recipe as an entree. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Fullstar Vegetable Chopper, saves me a ton of time in the kitchen.
• For instance, I used the larger chopping blade for the chopped southwest salad to chop my onions, cucumber, and red bell pepper.
• Then, I used a small blade to chop the jalapeno. 
• Also, when chopping jalapenos and removing the seeds, always wear gloves.
• Chop all the vegetables ahead of time for easier meal preparation, except for the avocado. Cut that last so it doesn't brown before serving the salad.

So, the next time you need a beautiful and tasty salad for a BBQ or just a weeknight dinner, grill up some corn and make this yummy Chopped Southwest Salad.

More Salad Recipes to Enjoy

If you love this chopped Southwest salad recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.

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