Southwest Chopped Salad
There is just something so addicting about that spicy, smokey, char-boiled taste of the Southwest. You get all of that in this big bowl of veggies, plus some protein from chicken and bacon, if you decide to add those in, like I do! It all comes together perfectly with the addition of my Southwest Ranch Dressing! I swear, I could put that stuff on anything and it’d be even more delicious. It. Is. So. Good. It has a perfect balance of smoke and spice with a little tang from lime juice. It’s definitely something to keep on hand in your fridge!
Because of the charred vegetables in this salad, it takes a couple extra minutes to make, but, I PROMISE, it’s so worth it! Just look at those edges! NOTE: This recipe is not entirely PALEO. Corn is a grain, and therefore, is NOT technically paleo. It’s not necessary, but it’s a nice addition. Feel free to omit that ingredient, if you want to!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5-8 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 recipe Southwest Ranch Dressing see recipe note for link*
- 1 13.5 oz Can of corn
- 1 tbsp Avocado oil sub coconut/olive oil
- 1/2 Red onion chopped roughly
- 2 Jalapeños cut in half and deseeded
- 6 Mini sweet peppers sliced - see recipe note for sub **
- 1/2 cup Fresh chopped cilantro about 3/4 of a bundle
- 5 oz Fresh greens I used a mix of baby spinach and arugula
- 3-4 Green onions chopped
- 1 lb Cooked, shredded chicken optional - I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a tex-mex seasoning
- 4-5 Slices of cooked bacon - chopped optional
- Tortilla chips optional - I use Siete foods brand!
Ingredients
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- With the High BROIL setting on, lay jalapeños, sweet pepper slices, and red onions on a lined baking sheet. Broil for 4 minutes.
- Rotate the pan and broil for another 3-4 minutes or until desired char is reached.
- While the veggies are under the broiler, cook the corn! In a large nonstick pan over medium high, saute corn and oil until the edges are charred. This should take about 5-8 minutes. FYI: You might have some fly away kernels!
- Allow all of the vegetables to cool before adding to your salad.
- While they cool, chop your greens and cilantro into smaller bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl.
- To the chopped greens and cilantro, add your chicken, bacon, corn, charred vegetables, green onions, and 1/2-3/4 of the dressing.
- Toss the salad until everything is completely coated. If you like extra dressing, add more! Personally, I use almost all of (1) recipe of the Southwest Ranch Dressing.
- Top with crushed tortilla chips for extra crunch!
** You usually can find these mini sweet peppers in a plastic bag in the produce section - you could sub red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.