Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

This Mexican Salad is the perfect meal sized salad filled with all your favorites - black beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, mango, jicama, cilantro, red onion, queso fresco, and a quick and easy honey lime dressing you will want to put on everything.

Although this year has been filled with far too many ice cream cones, I am happy to report that it has been equally filled with lots of salad. We have been eating it as a side dish pretty much every night with dinner and I've been eating lots of kitchen sink salads for lunch filled with whatever we have in the fridge. It's a great way to use up leftovers and make sure we are all eating lots of veggies. 

One of those salads inspired this Mexican Salad that is my version of a chopped salad with Mexican inspired ingredients. I was finishing up lots of odds and ends from tacos the night before and fell in love with this simple salad. Between the sweet mango, crunchy jicama, creamy avocado, and all your standard items - black beans, corn, cilantro, and onion - it's a salad that is hearty enough to be a meal and will have you going back for more and more. Plus I haven't even got to the simple honey lime salad dressing. It's just the right balance of tangy and sweet. You will find yourself making it for everything.

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What to Serve with a Mexican Chopped Salad

Although this salad is hearty enough to be a meal all on its own, you can also add protein to bulk things up. It can either go right on top of the salad or you could serve it on the side.

• Add some spice with this easy Blackened Salmon.
• Make this delicious grilled chicken taco meat. Serve it on the salad or serve the salad on the side of these yummy tacos.
• Carne asada is another delicious Mexican dish that pairs great with this Mexican salad.
• For a vegetarian option, make this Grilled Cilantro Lime Tofu.
• For an easy option, serve this with a rotisserie chicken.
• You could also serve this on a bed of brown rice or quinoa for a light and healthy rice bowl.

Tips for Making Mexican Chopped Salad

• Pretty much any veggies are fair game in this salad. Add some chopped bell peppers, red cabbage, radishes, carrots, or any other favorites. Same goes for fruit. Although I am partial to mango and jicama, this salad tastes great with pineapple as well.
• If you want to pack in some extra protein, consider adding cooked chicken, ground turkey, steak, or shrimp to the salad. You could also add some canned pinto beans or a veggie burger for a meatless option.
• If you can find queso fresco at your grocery store, it's the perfect cheese for this salad. If not you can use any soft or shredded cheese you like.
• Although I am partial to the crunch of Romaine, you could make this with any salad green. Try butter lettuce, arugula, or massaged kale.
• Many Mexican salads include a drizzle of cream. Look for a Mexcian crema, which is basically a pourable sour cream, and pour some on top.
• Make this spicy with the addition on some chopped jalapenos. You could also add some jalapeno, chili powder, or chipotle peppers to the dressing.

How to Make Mexican Salad Dressing

There are so many different ways you can make a Mexican salad dressing. I am going to share a basic recipe for a honey lime vinaigrette and then a few different ways to customize it for any type of Mexican salad you could want. Consider doubling it to have in the fridge all week for salads and bowls.

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Directions: Mix everything together until well combined. Taste and season as needed.
• Make it creamy: Add everything to a blender along with half an avocado or some sour cream.
• Add cilantro: Blend in some cilantro to brighten up the dressing.
• Make it spicy: Make the dressing in a blender with some fresh jalapeno or chipotle peppers. You can also use chili powder if you don't want to blend it.
• Do it all: Add the avocado, cilantro, and chipotle pepper. You may need some extra oil or water for this option. It's so good! 

Making this Salad for Meal Prep

This salad works surprisingly well for meal prep since many of the ingredients can last a few days in the fridge. If you are making this in advance, start with a glass jar or container. Layer the black beans and corn on the bottom. Then add the red onion and jicama. Top with the romaine lettuce, cilantro, and queso fresco. Pack the mango, cherry tomatoes, and dressing separately since they will wilt the other ingredients. Cut the avocado fresh that day and toss everything together. 

If you are packing in the morning for lunch that day, you can pack the mango and tomatoes with the black beans and corn. You can even add the dressing at the bottom of the container since it will only need to stay fresh for a few hours. Then just add the avocado right before serving. 

Looking for more healthy salads

• Watermelon and Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Blueberry Corn Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette
• Ranch BLT Pasta Salad