What is Southwestern dressing made of?

This southwestern dressing is made with just a handful of simple ingredients including sour cream, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, honey, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. This is a quick and easy dressing recipe that can be throw together in just minutes!

Is Southwest salad healthy?

I try not to think of foods as "healthy" or "unhealthy" and instead prefer to enjoy all foods in moderation. This southwest salad dressing is filled with real ingredients which makes it a more desirable option than the bottled dressing you might find at the grocery store that has a laundry list of ingredients. Build your southwest salad with chicken breast, lots of veggies, and this creamy southwest dressing and you've got an easy lunch that will fill you up and fuel you through your day!

What is McDonald's southwest salad?

My copycat version of McDonald's southwest salad has most of the same ingredients - greens, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, tortilla strips, cilantro, and a creamy southwest dressing. McDonald's version also includes roasted poblano peppers. Skip the drive-thru line and save some cash by making my simple southwest salad at home!

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Yes! This southwest salad is a great meal prep recipe! Assemble the salads with just lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and onions. Store in airtight containers in the fridge. Just before serving, slice the avocado, add tortilla strips, and drizzle with dressing!

Easy Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe

Description

This 5 minute creamy Southwest Salad Dressing is a McDonald’s copycat loaded with fresh Mexican flavors. It’s super quick and easy to throw together and stays good in the fridge for up to a week. Drizzle it over a simple Southwest salad and dinner is done!

Ingredients

Scale

Dressing:

8 oz. sour cream
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1.5 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

8 oz. your favorite spring green mix
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 avocados, thinly sliced
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup Cotija, crumbled
1 cup tortilla strips
fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Add all dressing ingredients to a large measuring cup and whisk until combined.
Add greens to a large serving platter. Top with sliced Cilantro Lime Chicken, black beans, red onion, and avocado.
Top with corn, tomatoes, Cotija, and homemade tortilla strips.
Pour dressing over salad just before eating. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Notes

Use fresh sweet corn if it's in season. During the summer months I like to make this Southwest salad with corn that's freshly cut from the cob. I don't cook at all, I just add it as - and it's DELICIOUS. If you prefer you could saute the fresh corn in a bit of olive oil (with salt and pepper of course) over medium heat for a couple minutes.

Don't forget the crunch! My favorite way to add a little texture to any salad is with something crunchy. In this case I love using those little crispy tortilla strips from the grocery store. They usually have some kind of flavor (chipotle, lime, cheddar, etc.) and if I'm being honest, they basically taste like little Dorito strips in your salad. But I've also used just regular tortilla chips crushed up a bit in this salad and that was delish too!

Grab your greens from the farmer's market if you can. Obviously living in Wisconsin our farmer's market with fresh veggies is a "summer only" kinda deal. So as soon as June hits you can bet I'm down at the farmer's market every Saturday getting salad greens until the harvest is over in late August. Fresh greens are going to make this salad taste even better!

Category: Main Dish
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: American/TexMex

Keywords: southwestern salad dressing, Southwestern dressing, Dressing for southwest salad