Everything You Want in a Salad
I’ve been making this Southwest Salad for years, and it is one of our absolute favorites. Its sweet, salty, crunchy, and absolutely beautiful. Mixed greens are topped with black beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes, onion, shredded cheese, and avocado then garnished with crunchy cornbread croutons and tossed in my signature Hot Honey Vinaigrette. You’ll love the flavor and texture of every bite. Be sure to make lots of cornbread croutons, because they seem to magically disappear whenever my husband is in the kitchen.
About this Southwest Salad
Black Beans Simply open a can of blackbeans, rinse them well and let dry.
Corn You can use fresh corn when it is in season, but we just drain an 8 oz can of corn for a quick week night dinner.
Bell Peppers I love to use orange bell peppers because it adds a layer of color and sweetness to this salad. Red, orange or yellow bell peppers will all work.
Tomatoes My favorite cherry tomatoes ever are Flavor Bombs from HEB. Feel free to substitute Roma or Heirloom tomatoes if you like.
Red Onion Red onions give this salad a nice bite. If your onions are too strong, rinse with cold water.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese Shredded cheese on the salad brings me back to my childhood. It also helps bind everything together with its creaminess. You could opt for low fat shredded cheddar or Feta if you want to shave a few grams of fat.
Avocado Avocados add a wonderul texture, color and helps make this salad filling with its good fats.
Cornbread Croutons Yes, I said it, cornbread croutons. I usually make this salad the week that I make corn bread for dinner. Its a great way to use up your extra cornbread. If you dont have leftover corn bread or don’t want to make it, just buy fresh cornbread from your favorite grocery store.
Dice your cornbread into cubes and gently toss with olive oil and salt and bake in the oven for 30 minutes for the most delicious croutons. Don’t worry about the cornbread crumbling a little bit when you toss it, the little bits are my favorite! If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle a little honey along with the olive oil and salt. If you make the croutons ahead of time, let cool and store in an airtight container.
Hot Honey Vinaigrette If you have ever tried Chipotle’s House Vinaigrette, this is very similar! Its equal parts honey, red wine vinegar and oil with oregano, paprika and chili flakes for a savory, smoky kick. The best way to combine the ingredient is in a blender, but you can whisk them together or even shake them together in a mason jar. This vinaigrette will stay good for up to a week. Store in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
Greens We used mixed greens for this salad, but feel free to swap them out for whatever you’re in the mood for. This could easily be made with kale or chopped romaine.
Make Ahead You assemble the salad one day ahead of time, just leave the avocado, croutons and vinaigrette on the side until you are ready to eat. Cover and refrigerate. To store the cornbread croutons, place in an airtight container. you can leave these room temp for two days. To store the vinaigrette, store in a sealed container and place in the fridge. Take the dressing out ahead of time to take the chill off before serving. The vinaigrette stays good for up to a week in your refrigerator.
What to Serve With this Southwest Salad
Protein There are lots of options when it comes to adding protein. Grilled skirt steak, chicken breast, blackened shrimp or salmon. All would be great on this salad.
Drinks A good, dry sparkling white would be the best option. We love Gruet Brut from New Mexico. It’s made in a classic Chamagne style (Methode Champenoise) and has bright hints of lemon and toasted brioche. A Hefeweizen would be a great beer option. Or make a pitcher of our delicious margaritas to cheers to take your dinner to another level! Cheers!
Recipe
Southwest Salad
This salad is one of our absolute favorites. It is sweet, salty, crunchy and beautiful with a kiss of heat.
Ingredients
- **Hot Honey Vinaigrette**
- 1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/4 C Honey
- 1/4 C Grapeseed or Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- **Cornbread Croutons**
- 4 cups day old Cornbread
- 2 Tbsp Olive OIl
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- **Salad**
- 4 Cups Mixed Greens or Romaine
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 C Corn
- 15.5 oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 10-15 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 C shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack
- 1 avocado, optional
Directions
- Step 1 **Cornbread Croutons** Preheat the oven to 350F. On a parchment lined sheet pan, gently toss the cornbread with olive oil and salt. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges are crispy and golden brown, flipping the croutons over halfway through baking.
- Step 2 **Hot Honey Vinaigrette** Combine all ingredients and blend, whisk, or shake (in a closed container) until combined well.
- Step 3 **Salad** Layer greens, black beans, corn, red onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cornbread croutons, and avocado, if using. Drizzle or toss with the Vinaigrette.
- Step 4 Serve with grilled steak, chicken or blackened seafood.
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
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