Featured comment
“This salad is delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe! We love cilantro, so I added some to the dressing as well. Delicious!!”
This delicious Chopped Southwest Salad with Chipotle Dressing is a nutritious yet fuss-free way to eat the rainbow. It tastes fresh and vibrant, with a great mix of textures from all the different veggies. The pickled onions and pecans stand out, pairing perfectly with the creamy (but ridiculously easy!) Chipotle Dressing.
Each generous serving provides 24 g of protein and 22 g of fiber, along with healthy fats from the avocado and pecans. The diversity of plants in this salad and the presence of resistant starch mean it’s also great for promoting gut health and a thriving microbiome! Whoever said eating healthy was boring needs a bowl of this amazing salad! If you love this one, my Mexican-style roasted sweet potatoes, high-protein Tex-Mex shepherd’s pie, and Erewhon kale and white bean salad are next on the rotation.
Why This Recipe Works
- Nutrient-dense: With so many plants, you are sure to make serious progress in your daily nutrient requirements. Each serving contains notably 24 g of protein and 22 g of fiber. It’s also rich in vitamins A, E, and magnesium. It contains the daily recommended intake of folate and vitamin C for an adult.
- Satiating: The combination of protein, fiber, and healthy fats will help you feel fuller and satisfied for longer.
- Flexible with easy substitutions for allergies or preferences.
- Perfect for meal prep, making healthy eating convenient.
- Gluten-free, ensuring it’s accessible for those with dietary restrictions.
Ingredient Notes
- Gem lettuce: Crisp and refreshing, a perfect base for any salad. Alternatives include romaine or iceberg lettuce for a similar crunch.
- Black beans: A great source of protein and fiber. Kidney beans or pinto beans can be used as a substitute.
- Quinoa: A super grain that’s high in protein and gluten-free.
- Avocado: Adds creaminess and healthy fats. If unavailable, try using a dollop of guacamole or diced mango for sweetness.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by sautéing the corn with olive oil and ground cumin until golden. Whisk together the dressing ingredients – dairy-free yogurt, maple syrup, chipotle in adobo, lime juice, and a dash of sea salt. In a large bowl, mix the chopped lettuce, black beans, the cooled corn, cooked quinoa, finely chopped tomatoes and orange bell pepper, diced avocado, pickled onions, chopped cilantro, and pecans. Drizzle with the prepared Chipotle Dressing and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Variations and Tips
- I always choose soy yogurt when possible as it’s higher in protein, but if you can’t find it, any dairy-free yogurt will work fine here.
- Higher protein option: Each serving contains 24 g of protein. Add 1 cup of cooked edamame to the salad to add an extra 18 g of protein total, taking each serving to 33 g of protein. Alternatively, you could add some extra black beans, some pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Nut-free option: Replace the pecans with pumpkin seeds.
- To turn it into a meal prep: Layer in the following order in fitted containers: the sauce, black beans, quinoa, corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, pickled onions, cilantro, and pecan. Unless you’re planning on eating it tomorrow, I’d save the avocado to add just before eating to prevent browning. If adding, drizzle generously with lime juice. If you like this kind of meal prep idea, you will love our High-Protein Cowboy Caviar!
Why You’ll Love This Chopped Southwest Salad with Chipotle Dressing
- Nourishing
- Flavorful
- Easy
- Customizable
- Hearty
Chopped Southwest Salad with Chipotle Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) olive oil
- ¾ cup (115 g) corn
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
- 1 head gem lettuce - chopped into small pieces
- 1.5 cups (258 g) cooked black beans
- 1 cup (185 g) cooked quinoa - from 1/3 cup dry
- 5 oz (150 g) tomatoes - finely chopped, I used Solano
- 1 orange bell pepper - seeded and finely chopped
- ½ avocado - peeled and diced
- ½ cup (85 g) pickled onions - can be substituted for finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup (4 g) cilantro - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (20 g) pecans - roughly chopped
Chipotle Dressing
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) chipotle in adobo sauce - see notes
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
- 1 Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the corn and cumin, and cook for 5 minutes. Allow to cool down.
- Whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, chipotle in adobo, lime juice, and sea salt flakes. This is your Chipotle Dressing.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, black beans, corn, quinoa, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, pickled onions, cilantro, and pecans. When ready to serve, drizzle with the Chipotle Dressing, and adjust salt to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Video
Per Serving/Portion
FAQ
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Are there any substitutes for Chipotle in adobo?
Is this recipe suitable for kids?
Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh?
What kind of yogurt should I use?
How many servings does this recipe make?
If you love this recipe, try our Jennifer Garner’s viral Big Salad or our vegan black bean quesadillas with cashew queso.
You might also like
Straight from your kitchens.
Snap a photo in the comments on any recipe. We love to see it! Here’s what the community has been cooking recently.
Just leave a comment on any recipe and attach a photo
I’ve tried several of your recipes so far and they have always been successful.This salad is a keeper too (actually for me it was a bit too spicy from the adobo, so I will add less next time).Thanks for all your hard work!
I’m so happy to hear that Chrissy! Thank you so much for sharing, I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🥰
Hi Sarah! The nutritional info says per serve/portion. Sodium is 488. I need to lower sodium. Apart from not adding salt how else can i lower sodium here? It looks so delicious i really want to make it! Once i make it i will add a pic <3
Hi Lucy, some options for you: reduce the pickled onions, or the salt in the pickled onions (or just do thinly sliced onions, marinated in lime juice, you’ll probably want to use a little less onions).
Cook your beans from scratch, or use no sodium added canned beans.
Check labels for the yogurt and chipotle sauce, and get the lowest sodium option available.
Hope this helps, let me know how you go x
Hi the recipe looks delicious, do you have calorie and carb contents for the recipe ?
The full nutrition information are just under the instructions, click to unveil 🙂
What flavour of dairy-free yogurt are we supposed to use?
Always use unflavoured yogurt for savoury recipes 😊
This salad is delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe!
We love cilantro, so I added some to the dressing as well. Delicious!!
That looks beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing, Stephanie. I’m so happy you love it ❤️
First of all, I love your content — thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙌 I tried making the salad for meal prep, and everything turned out amazing except the black beans. They tasted kind of muddy and heavy, and the aftertaste bothered my stomach. Maybe I cooked them wrong (I used a pressure cooker for 20 min). Any tips for making black beans taste better or lighter would be super helpful! 😊!
Hi Arman, thank you for the kind words! I find that cooking beans in a pressure cooker can make them a little mushy. Can I ask if you soaked the beans first and discarded the water? You don’t need to when using a pressure cooker, but soaking them for around 16 hours helps draw out the oligosaccharides (the compounds that can cause bloating). This effect is even stronger if you cook the soaked beans in a large volume of boiling water and then drain them.
I know it takes much longer than using a pressure cooker, so for recipes like this, I’d recommend using canned black beans instead. Rinse them well, they’re often easier to digest because of their cooking method and tend to hold their shape better.
If that’s not an option (I remember struggling to find canned black beans on my last trip to France!), you could swap in brown or black lentils for salads like this. They cook in about 20 minutes without soaking, are easier to digest, and hold their shape beautifully.
Hope this helps, let me know how you go x
Just made this and it was delicious. Great combination of flavours and textures. Felt like a healthy dinner too.
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing Elizabeth 💚