🥗 What Makes This Salad So Good
Mexican salad looks (and tastes) complex, but it couldn’t be easier to make! The whole recipe comes together in 20 minutes, give or take. There’s this amazing crunch from the tortilla strips and pepitas that adds a great complementary texture to the rest of the salad. Pair that with the crisp tomatoes and onion, the buttery avocado, and the meaty black beans, and every bite is exciting. Our popular cilantro-lime dressing is just the thing to tie it all together! It’s hearty and flavorful enough to enjoy all on its own, but it’s also a perfect side dish for salmon, chicken, and steak! Our 3-ingredient Crockpot Mexican chicken and our easy Instant Pot salsa chicken would both be great on top of this salad.
Chef’s Tips
Let the cilantro-lime dressing chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes, though longer is better if you have the time. This gives all the flavors time to really develop! Careful not to burn your tortilla strips – they’ll fry quickly! If you don’t want to pan fry them, you can bake them or air fry them instead. Super handy if you’re prepping a lot of tortilla strips. To bake them, toss them in oil & salt and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit, then flip them and bake another 5 minutes until crisp. For air fryer tortilla strips, place the strips in the air fryer basket and spray lightly with oil. Add salt and toss to coat. Air fry at 375° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, shaking the basket after 4-5 minutes. For the best flavors in your Mexican salad, use as many fresh ingredients as you can. If you need to save some time and energy, though, you can use salad mix, store-bought tortilla strips (or even crumbled tortilla chips – I won’t tell), and frozen corn, in addition to the canned black beans.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Salmon Salad Whole30 Southern Fried Chicken Salad Big Mac Salad Marry Me Chicken Salad Carrot Raisin Salad Pittsburgh Chicken Salad Nicoise Salad Cajun Chicken Salad with Cajun Ranch Dressing 7 Layer Salad Amish Broccoli Salad Fully Loaded Burger Bowl with “Special Sauce” Guacamole Salad
