Tex Mex Layered Salad is a nice version of a layered salad that includes all kinds of delicious goodies. It’s very much like a taco salad with a creamy, southwestern style dressing.
Whether it’s the beginning of a new year or the approaching summer season, it’s time to start thinking about “salad.” I’m sure there quite a few people out there who agree. Salad for dinner is a good idea if you want to try and lighten things up!
There’s no meat in this salad (but you can add a layer of seasoned taco meat if you’d like), and it’s easily gluten-free adaptable.
Ingredients needed:
DRESSING:
- canned original Rotel tomatoes with chiles
- sour cream
- cream cheese
- ground cumin
- garlic clove
SALAD:
- chopped Romaine lettuce
- canned black beans
- canned corn
- avocado
- jarred roasted red pepper strips
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- canned sliced olives
- sliced green onions
- garnishes, as desired
How to make Tex Mex Salad:
*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
PREPARE THE DRESSING:
Place dressing ingredients in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to combine until smooth. Set aside while you prepare the salad.
**NOTE: Please note that the video for this recipe shows adding mayonnaise to the dressing. That’s an error- it’s cream cheese!
PREPARE THE SALAD:
Then add the red peppers, 2 more cups of lettuce, cheese, and olives.
Spread the dressing on top.
Then use a few sprinkles of chopped lettuce, cheese, olives and green onions to garnish the top. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours, or serve immediately.
The best part is… if you don’t like a layer, leave it out or replace it with something you like better! The dressing mixes into the salad as it’s served. This salad is a nice choice to bring for all of those barbecue potlucks you’re invited to. And because you’re eating salad, now you can feel like you’re eating more healthy!
If you’re looking for more great salad recipes to try, you might enjoy some of these:
- Layered Nacho Salad
- Grilled Steak Chopped Summer Salad
- Southwest Salad with Avocado Dressing
- Loaded Greek Chicken Avocado Salad
- Easy Gourmet Salad
- Classic Cobb Salad
- Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
- Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese
Tex Mex Layered Salad
Ingredients
DRESSING:
- One 10-ounce can original Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
SALAD:
- 6 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- One 15-ounce can corn, rinsed and drained
- 2 medium avocados, peeled and sliced or diced
- ¾ cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- One 6-ounce can sliced olives (reserve a few for garnish)
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- additional chopped lettuce, shredded cheese and olives for garnish
Instructions
PREPARE THE DRESSING:
- Place dressing ingredients in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to combine until smooth. Set aside while you prepare the salad.NOTE: Please note that the video for this recipe shows adding mayonnaise to the dressing. That's an error- it's cream cheese!
PREPARE THE SALAD:
- Layer the salad ingredients in a large glass bowl in the following order: 4 cups of lettuce, black beans, corn, avocado, red peppers, 2 more cups of lettuce, cheese, and olives. Spread the dressing on top. Then use a few sprinkles of chopped lettuce, cheese, olives and green onions to garnish the top. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours, or serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use a brand of black beans that is known to be GF.
- This salad is vegetarian as written, but you can easily add a layer of taco-seasoned chicken or ground beef to the salad.
- Use light versions of sour cream, cream cheese and shredded cheese if you're watching your calorie intake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks like a perfect layered salad, Lori! I know my family would love it and it would be the hit of any social this summer!
This looks delicious and perfect for summer!
Oh this looks SO good!! I’ve been thinking lately of layered mexican dishes being hot, but this salad looks incredible. I know they say there isn’t much nutritional value in iceburg lettuce, but I agree with you about the crunch. No substitute, and we frequently shred a head for taco nights and taco salads.
This is the kind of thing I could eat ev.ery.day. with this pregnancy. Looks delicious!
I know so many people who would go crazy over this! And how could they not? It has all of the best ingredients in the world (minus a few obvious ones, of course)!
These are my favorite flavors to enjoy especially over the summer! Love all those photos too 🙂 See you this week, woohoo!
Oh boy. This sounds so fabulous!! I love tex-mex salads and your layered version rocks! Yum!
Layered salads are so good and perfect for this time of year! They’re easy to prepare and offer so much variety. Love the Tex-Mex flavors in this one. And thanks so much for including one of mine in your links.
Would it defeat the whole point of salad to eat the whole bowl?
Layered salads are so perfect for parties or summer get togethers and this version looks so good. Love all those tex-mex flavours.