Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
Home » COOK » Recipes » Recipes By Course » Salads »
This vibrant Mexican Chopped Salad is like summer in a bowl and is ready, start to finish in less than 20 minutes! With roasted corn, lettuce, arugula, cilantro, bell pepper, red onion, and black beans, and drizzled with a creamy avocado dressing, it is as delicious as it is colorful!
Don’t have time for this recipe now? Be sure to tap the heart icon ♥ in the bottom right of the screen to save this post for later!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure Policy and Privacy Policy
Mexican Chopped Salad
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
This fresh Mexican chopped salad is substantial enough to serve as a light main course on its own.
Or, you can pair it with Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Pozole with Chicken) or your favorite soup for a heartier meal.
Either way, this delicious, healthy dish is packed with fiber-rich black beans and plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables.
We have a collection of 70+ Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes for you to try out! Right-click and open them in a new tab to read next.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Avocado, Shallot, Cilantro (Coriander in the UK), Limes, Corn on the Cob, Iceberg Lettuce, Arugula (Rocket in the UK), Red Bell Pepper, Red Onion.
- Dairy – Greek Yogurt, Unsalted Butter.
- Ground Cumin
- Honey – try to buy locally produced honey when possible.
- Canned Black Beans
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Black Beans
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is black beans, so here are some more recipes using the same:
More Salad Recipes
Looking for more salads to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Strawberry Fennel Salad
- Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad with Bacon & Blue Cheese Dressing
- Asian Cabbage Salad with Warm Spicy Peanut Dressing
Recipe Tips
- If fresh corn is not in season, substitute 1 cup of prepared frozen or canned sweetcorn and skip the roasting steps 2 and 3 in the recipe card.
How Do I Make Mexican Chopped Salad?
Just check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 large avocado pitted
- ½ small shallot peeled and cut in half
- 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro fresh coriander, chopped
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp honey
- 2-3 Tbsp water if needed
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
For the Chopped Salad
- 2 large ears of fresh corn on the cob husks and silk removed
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 2 cups fresh arugula chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 1 15oz/400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 large lime cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water, if necessary, to reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Brush the corn with melted butter and place on a pre-heated gas grill over medium direct heat, or indoors on a grill pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray set over medium-high heat. Or under a hot grill/broiler in the oven.
- Cook corn until kernels are slightly charred, rotating one-quarter turn every couple of minutes until each side is done. Remove from heat and slice kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Reserve kernels and discard cobs. Set aside.
- Add the chopped iceberg, arugula, and fresh cilantro to a large salad bowl and toss gently to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced bell pepper, red onion, black beans, roasted corn kernels, lime juice, and ground cumin. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss gently to combine.
- Add the seasoned black bean mixture to the bowl with the chopped lettuce and toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately with the Creamy Avocado Dressing or your favorite salad dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
This salad would be a great main dish or side. But what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Gluten-Free Gazpacho Recipe with Chickpea “Croutons”
- Main Dish: Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Pozole with Chicken)
- Side Dish: Quick & Easy Spicy Salsa
- Beverage: Blackberry Vodka Cocktail
- Dessert: Berry Cheesecake Parfaits
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!