Fresh Mexican Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
This fresh black bean taco salad with cilantro-lime dressing is a classic family favorite. Fresh vegetables, savory black beans, and crunchy tortilla chips topped off with a zesty cilantro-lime dressing. We love to serve it in parts, making it the perfect meal for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cups black beans see note
- 2 cups seasoned rice see note
- 2 large avocados diced
- fresh shredded cheddar or cheddar blend cheese as desired for sprinkling
- fresh cilantro sprigs as desired
- crumbled tortilla chips for serving
- fresh limes sliced into wedges, for serving
Cilantro-Lime Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise see note
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh minced or dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro or more, as desired
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
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In a medium saute pan over medium heat add the frozen corn. Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes until lightly blackened and caramelized. Cool.
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Prep all ingredients and separate into serving dishes for serving. Or alternately combine salad ingredients (except tortilla chips and lime wedges) in a large salad bowl.
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Add dressing ingredients to blender jar and blend until smooth. Dressing can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
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Serve salad topped with crushed tortilla chips and lime wedges with desired dressing, to taste.
Recipe Notes
1. For the black beans, you can either use black beans from a can, rinsed or drained or seasoned black beans. We especially like these Mexican Black Beans.
2. For the seasoned rice, we usually use this Mexican Rice or this Creamy Lime Coconut Rice.
3. We often make the dressing with this homemade mayonnaise which just really takes it to a whole new level of amazing taste.
4. Although this salad has enough flavor that it does not need meat, it is delicious with it. Here are some great options: use the chicken from these Crispy Chicken Tacos, this Mexican sweet pork, use the beef from these amazing beef taquitos, or even just plain taco meat!
5. This recipe works great for a crowd (doubled or tripled of course). We almost always serve this salad in pieces and let everyone put what they want on their plates. It works better for leftovers if everything is not already mixed together too.
6. These refried beans are another delicious variation (in place of the black beans) that we use often. This works especially well if you are serving the salad as a buffet where everyone adds their own. Topping everything on a tortilla is also very yummy.