This easy and delicious Southwestern Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing is a vegetarian salad that packs a powerful dose of fiber and protein. It’s a filling and incredibly flavorful salad that is topped with fresh, creamy, homemade cilantro dressing.
Inspired by my favorite salad from Stonefire Grill, this is perfect as a main course for lunch, or cut each serving in half for a dinner side dish. It’s also one of my favorite salads to take to a BBQ or potluck – everyone loves it.
You can use canned or frozen corn with this if it’s easier, but I personally LOVE the taste of grilled or roasted corn on the cob, which is sliced to remove the kernels. It adds a tremendous flavor boost. The most recent time I made it, I used an ear of red corn (as you can see in the photo) that I came across at a Farmer’s Market and thought it’d be fun to try. It was delicious! But a regular ear of yellow corn works just fine.
For some added crunch and flavor, top with some crumbled low-fat tortilla chips. The creamy cilantro dressing is really versatile and also goes great as a sauce over chicken or a dip for veggies and pita chips!
Southwestern Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large head Romaine lettuce - (chopped)
- 1 small red onion - (chopped)
- 1 ear of corn - (roasted, kernels removed)
- 1 15 oz can black beans - (drained and rinsed)
- 1 red bell pepper - (seeded and diced)
- 2 Roma tomatoes - (seeded and diced)
- ¾ cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Juice from 1 lime - (or more to taste)
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make dressing first by placing the last 6 ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth and set aside.
- In a large bowl toss together the first 6 ingredients. Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine.
