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.
Our seemingly endless Little League baseball season is fiiiiiiinally over. Basketball too. And school ends this week! It’s time to start thinking about flip flops, beach towels, BATHING SUITS, and sand between my toes. In other words, it’s time to start thinking about “salad.”
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.
1st layer: chopped lettuce. I used Romaine here, but I sometimes use a combination of chopped Romaine and chopped Iceberg. I like the added crunch that iceberg gives.
2nd layer: black beans
3rd layer: corn (use canned or fresh kernels)
4th layer: avocado
5th layer: roasted red peppers
6th layer: a little more lettuce
7th layer: shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8th layer: sliced olives
9th layer: a homemade Tex Mex dressing
10th layer: a garnish
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 summer barbecue potlucks you’re going to be invited to. And because you’re eating salad, now you can go bathing suit shopping! Yeah, good luck with that. 😉
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
Recipe Details
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 & drained
- One 15-ounce can corn, rinsed & drained
- 2 medium avocados, peeled & sliced or diced
- 3/4 cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- One 6-ounce can sliced olives (reserve a few for garnish)
- 1/4 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.
Video
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.
I see cumin in the ingredients list, but not in the recipe. Should there be cumin in the dressing?
Yes, thank you for catching that- I’m not sure how that got left out. Recipe has beed edited.
In the video for Tex Mex salad, it shows using mayonnaise, but in the recipe it calls for cream cheese? I would like to make this salad but i need clarification, please.
Thank you.
Richard
Yikes, you are correct. Cream cheese is the correct ingredient- not mayonnaise. I’m going to have to talk to my video producer about the error. Thank you so much for pointing that out!!!
I am gonna make this as soon as my avocadoes ripen – UGH, I don’t wanna wait! Love the dressing ingredients, it sounds awesome!
How does it keep since it is dressed? My family could not finish this on day one. Would day two be good wrapped in tortilla with some grilled chicken or fish?
Possibly…
Made for pool party this past weekend; big hit. Yummy.
What a nice looking tex mex layered salad! I like the use of the roasted red peppers in it!
Loved this salad! Took it to a potluck on Saturday and have sent the recipe out to two different people so far. Thank you for the great eats!
I have printed out this recipe, stocked the fridge and left everything ready for the guys to enjoy this bad boy salad while I am in Seattle. They are going to luv you fo-eveh! 😀
Love this one Lori – going into my favorites list. Thank you!
Lori, what a fun salad to bring to a BBQ, Love all the different layers. Looking forward to seeing you at BlogHer Food!
You lost me on the 3rd layer!
yeah, yeah, yeah sis… you can totally customize your layers and leave OUT the corn 🙂
For the dressing why not mix sour cream with your favorite salsa? I will definitely try this thank you!
I am renaming this, hope you don’t mind. This will henceforth be know as:
Tex-Mazing Layered Dipsalada
I don’t think I’d be able to stop eating this! So many layers and tastes and textures. And that dressing! It looks so creamy and luscious.
Yes, yes, yes. This is my happy place.
beautiful AND delicious! i love layered salads — they’re so dramatically gorgeous:) thanks for sharing!
Now this is a dish that I love!!! I have to make this for dinner tonight!!! Ohhh, I can’t wait!!
Oh, I love Tex-Mex salads. I love salads in general, but if you add beans, corn, and avocados, then I’m in love with it. Thanks for the great recipe.
This salad looks truly perfect. Being a Texas girl, I think that it is definitely something that I need to add to a weekly summer lunch rotation. Delicious!
Perfect summer salad! looks delicious!
This is SO a salad I can get behind. I love it!!
Well you said the B word… (bathing suit), so now salad season has officially begun! This definitely looks like the kind of salad I could fall in love with.
Wow that salad looks just awesome! I am definitely looking forward to that one 🙂
THANK GOD baseball season is over….seemed like it lasted 10 months! Love the dip!
Oh wow, this looks BEAUTIFUL & i bet it tastes crazyy good! adding this to my must-make list for this summer!
I’m a total salad snob and this one looks fantabulous!!! Thanks!
I absolutely love all the flavors in this not to mention how gorgeous it is! We finish school this week as well. Looking forward to a much more relaxed schedule!!
Thanks, Lori, for the link to the layered Lebanese salad I made some years back. I like your idea of the Tex-Mex. I always loved these kinds of layered salads when they were first devised 20+ years ago – you can make them a day ahead and they look SO pretty. I’ll have to try yours!
School’s out for my little girl this week, too. Now if only the weather would get nice. Not sure up there, but in the city, it’s like 58 and cold and rainy!
This salad is great for dipping some blue corn chips in it! Love all the layers and flavors!
This looks so gorgeous and delicious! Must make it asap!
Lots of tasty layers! Great salad for summer!
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.