Layered Nacho Salad

Name: Layered Nacho Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 large ripe avocados, (peeled and pitted); 1⅓ cups (or more) bottled thick and chunky salsa ((mild or medium- hot), divided); ¼ cup sour cream; ½ lime lime, (juiced); salt and pepper, (to taste); 1 head red leaf lettuce, (torn into bite size pieces); 3 cups shredded cooked chicken ((or turkey)); 3 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips or nacho cheese tortilla chips; One 15-ounce can black beans, (rinsed and drained); 4 ribs green onions, (chopped); 1 small green bell pepper, (seeded and chopped); 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese; buttermilk salad dressing, (bottled or homemade)

By Lori Lange

5 from 2 votes

Sep 02, 2017

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Here’s a delicious salad recipe that is perfect for sharing with a large group of people: Layered Nacho Salad.

layered nacho salad in bowl

Layered Nacho Salad

Remember the 7-layer Mexican dip? Well, this is the salad version. Layers of lettuce, chicken, tortilla chips, black beans, green onions, guacamole, salsa, bell pepper and cheese fill up a large glass bowl. This is a great salad to bring to a potluck party or backyard barbecue. It’s just so pretty and colorful and delicious. Everyone is always impressed with this one.

🛒Ingredients needed:

avocados
bottled thick and chunky salsa
sour cream
lime juice
salt and pepper
red leaf lettuce
shredded cooked chicken
tortilla chips
canned black beans
green bell pepper
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
bottled buttermilk salad dressing

✏️How to make Layered Nacho Salad:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

Place avocados in a medium bowl. Add ⅓ cup salsa and sour cream; mash to chunky guacamole consistency. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper.
In a large glass bowl, layer half of lettuce, chicken, chips, beans, green onions, bell pepper and cheese. Top with all of the guacamole and all of the remaining salsa. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients.
Let guests scoop up their own salad and drizzle buttermilk salad dressing on top of individual servings.

Layered Nacho Salad view from top

➡️Recipe Tips:

If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just be sure to use a brand of tortilla chips that is designated as GF, and use your favorite GF salad dressing.
Make sure you plan ahead with your avocados for this recipe. Nothing’s worse then trying to make something with avocados that still need a couple more days to ripen. You want them ripe, but not mushy.
This salad may be prepared up to 2 hours ahead (no more than that or the chips and guacamole will get icky), just cover and chill.
I recommend serving this salad with my homemade Buttermilk Salad Dressing. Let your guests scoop out the salad and drizzle the dressing on top of individual servings. Or use your favorite salad dressing. An avocado-based salad dressing would be delicious too.

✔️What to do with Layered Nacho Salad:

If possible, serve this salad in a beautiful clear glass bowl. It’s just so pretty and you want everyone to be able to see that.
This is a big salad (serving 10), so it’s perfect to take to a potluck or to make when having friends over.
Make this for a Mexican themed party and serve some Mango Chili Quesadilla wedges as an appetizer.

Layered Nacho Salad in a bowl

★How to Store:

To be perfectly honest, this salad (like many salads) doesn’t really store well for long. The lettuce and guacamole just don’t hold up all that well. If you do have some left, store it in the refrigerator to eat the next day, but that’s about it for this one!

❤️Why I love this recipe:

I always loved that 7-Layer Mexican dip, so this is just a natural upgrade for me.
I like that it’s so pretty. It always gets oohs and aahs when I bring it to a gathering.
I love that it’s really terrifically easy to make. Chopping is about as difficult as it gets, so it’s fast to make and that’s always a good thing.