This Southwest Salad recipe is absolutely delicious! Chopped romaine and fresh crunchy veggies are topped with a delicious homemade chipotle ranch dressing.

My absolute favorite kind of salad is a southwest salad! Loaded with fresh veggies and crunchy tortilla strips, it’s not only flavorful but has great texture in every bite. It’s topped with the most delicious homemade creamy chipotle ranch dressing that ties it all together.

The chipotle ranch dressing is made with sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, and salt. It’s quick and easy to make and all you need is either a blender or a food processor!

“Next level delicious!! This easily beats any bagged or restaurant southwest salad. Super flavorful dressing with a good kick!” -reader review

chipotle ranch dressing

Ingredients Needed

Romaine lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Black beans
Bell pepper
Red onion
Fresh corn
Tortilla strips
Chipotle ranch salad dressing

How to make southwest salad

Step 1: Prepare your vegetables. Chop up the romaine lettuce. Cut up the bell pepper, onion, corn, and cherry tomatoes.

Step 2: Drain and rinse the black beans. If you plan to make this recipe as a meal prep option, simply store all of your vegetables besides the tomatoes in their own bags or containers in the fridge.

The tomatoes I would not recommend cutting up in advance, but everything else will store well in the fridge for several days.

Step 3: Assemble the southwest salad. Add the red onion, corn, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, black beans, and tortilla strips over a bed of romaine lettuce. Add the avocado slices if desired.

Step 4: Top the salad with homemade chipotle ranch dressing to taste. This dressing is so flavorful, just the right amount of heat, and made in 5 minutes or less in a food processor!

This salad is crunchy, creamy, spicy, and so fresh. Make it your own by adding more veggies, using what you have on hand, or topping with more protein of choice. If you are looking for a new salad recipe to try, this is it!

cut up bell pepper and onion on a cutting board

cut up romaine lettuce on a cutting board

How to Store

If you do not plan to eat the whole salad, you can place the individual ingredients into airtight bags or containers in the fridge and store leftovers to enjoy the next day.

The salad dressing will keep well in a mason jar with an airtight lid for up to a week and you can add it to taste as you enjoy your leftover salad. This is a great recipe to meal prep ahead and toss it together when you are ready to eat!

southwest salad with chipotle ranch dressing

Kitchen tips

If you’re planning to eat this salad over the course of several days, you can easily prep most of it and store it in the fridge until ready to eat. The black beans, corn, red onion, lettuce and bell pepper can be prepped then stored in individual bags until ready to assemble.

Store the chipotle ranch in a mason jar or container and add to taste. Then just add cherry tomatoes and toppings when you are ready to eat!