This New Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad with Green Chile is refreshing, filling and flavorful! It’s tossed with a cumin lime dressing and makes a great vegetarian lunch or dinner side.
I’ve been living in New Mexico a little over 4 years now and I can confirm that they do in fact put green Chile on everything, ha! If you don’t love green Chile before coming here, you will when you leave. This New Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad with Green Chile has tons of flavor and delicious ingredients!
Chopped salads are my favorite kind of salads because you get a little bit of everything in each bite. This New Mexican Chopped Salad is inspired by a salad with the same name that I got at a local restaurant and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
New Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad with Green Chile Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cabbage – I started adding green cabbage to my chopped salads over the summer and it’s a game changer. It has a great crunchy texture that holds up to salad dressings.
- Romaine Lettuce – Romaine lettuce also stands up nicely to dressings, especially if you use the crunchier ends. You could use any kind of lettuce greens you like though.
- Green Chile – Most grocery stores sell cans of Hatch green Chile. My favorite is this Young Guns Green Chile. I buy mine at Albertsons but I don’t know if they carry it at all of them. You just want to diced green Chile, heat level of your choice.
- Chickpeas – I would normally use black or pinto beans in a salad like this, but the restaurant used chickpeas and I always love those!
- Corn – Corn is always a nice addition to a chopped salad! I used canned but you can use frozen or even fresh, depending on the season.
- Avocado – Avocado adds creaminess and goes with all the other ingredients so well. If you’re making this salad ahead of time you should hold off on adding the avocado until ready to eat.
- Red Onion – I add raw red onion to all of my salads because I love it so much but if you want something a little milder you can use green onion instead.
- Cojita Cheese – Cojita cheese adds some creaminess and saltiness. You could substitute feta cheese or a dairy free cheese.
- Tomato – You can use any kind of tomato you like in this salad. It isn’t tomato season right now but cherry tomatoes would be great! I used store-bought Roma tomatoes.
- Cilantro – I love adding a fresh herb to my salads and cilantro was the obvious choice for this salad. If you don’t like cilantro, you can instead use parsley, dill, mint or herb of choice.
- Cumin Lime Dressing – This cumin lime dressing is so flavorful! It’s made with olive oil, fresh lime juice, lime zest, garlic, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Tips For Making The Best New Mexican Chopped Salad
- I like to make sure all the ingredients are chopped to a similar size. That way you can get a little bit of everything in each bite.
- If you aren’t making the salad to eat immediately, I would suggest leaving the avocado and dressing off. You can add them right before eating so that the avocado doesn’t get brown and the salad doesn’t get soggy.
- Feel free to add other ingredients you like to this salad, when it comes to chopped salads, the more ingredients the better!
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe vegan? No, I used dairy cojita cheese but you can use a dairy free cheese substitute.
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes!
- Can this chopped salad be made ahead of time? Yes, it can be assembled ahead of time, but I would suggest leaving the avocado and dressing out until ready to eat.
- How long will salad leftovers last in the refrigerator? If stored in an airtight container, salad should last about 3 days, if not dressed.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Delicious Vegetarian Salad Recipes?
Asian Inspired Chickpea Chopped Salad
Greek Inspired Chopped Salad with Crispy Pita
Mediterranean Chopped Salad Pitas
Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Print
New Mexico Inspired Chopped Salad with Green Chile
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This New Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad is packed with tons of delicious ingredients including fire roasted green Chile! It’s all tossed with a tangy cumin lime dressing and it’s great for lunch or a dinner side dish!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped green cabbage
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 cup fire roasted green chili, with most of the liquid drained out
- 3/4 cup cojita cheese, or queso Fresca or feta cheese
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 medium sized avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Cumin Lime Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Juice of two limes, 1/4 cup, more if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, more if desired
- 1–2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and mix until completely combined. Give the dressing a taste and add more seasonings if desired.
- Add the chopped cabbage and romaine lettuce to a large bowl and mix together. Next, add all the remaining salad ingredients and mix together well. You can either dress the entire bowl of salad if bringing to a party or potluck, or you can serve individual portions of salad and each person can dress their own salad.
Notes
It is best to add avocado to individual portions so that it doesn’t go bad if you have leftovers.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Salad, Lunch
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: New Mexican
Leave a Reply