Crunchy Tex Mex Salad with Pinto Beans
and honey-adobo dressing
A classic taco salad is one of our favorite back-pocket meals. This version is vegetarian with spiced pinto beans, corn, and a sweet and spicy dressing. It's a great meal if you're cooking for one or two, but also works well to customize if you're serving a crowd. Set everything out like a taco bar and let everyone assemble their own bowl. This meal was last featured in 2019.
Ingredients
- Vinegar, red wine - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Adobo sauce - 1 Tbsp (usually found with canned chipotle peppers)
- Honey - 1 Tbsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 3 Tbsp
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Coriander, ground - 1 tsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Bell peppers, any color - 1, diced
- Lettuce, any crisp variety like iceberg or Boston leaf - 8 oz, shredded
- Tomatoes, Roma - 4, chopped
- Avocados - 1, diced
- Olives, black and sliced (4 oz / 113 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Beans, pinto (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Corn kernels, frozen - 1 cup
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Cheese, Colby Jack or cheddar - 4 oz, shredded (look for pre-shredded to save time)
- Tortilla chips - 4 cups
Nutrition Facts
Prep
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Make honey-adobo dressing - Whisk together vinegar, adobo sauce, honey, paprika (portion for dressing), and oil (portion for dressing). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make spice mix - Combine cumin, coriander, paprika (portion for salad), garlic powder, and salt. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Bell peppers - Dice bell peppers. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Olives - Drain and rinse.
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Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Corn - Defrost corn.
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Make
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Heat a skillet with oil (portion for taco salad) over medium heat. Add beans and corn. Saute for 1 minute to heat through. Add spice mix and saute for 1 to 2 minutes more, until spices are fragrant.
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Assemble salads by forming a bed of lettuce and topping it with bell peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and olives. Top with beans, corn, and cheese.
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Dress salads with honey-adobo dressing. Serve with tortilla chips (you can crumble these over the top or use them to scoop up the other ingredients). Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
34 reviews
Very good, my husband who doesn't usually eat salad even really liked it. I substituted hoisin sauce for adobo because I didn't want spicy and maple syrup for honey. My dressing was very sweet; I also used store-bought ranch on it, and that was also very tasty. I really liked all the textures and the crunch of the tortilla chips!
0 HelpfulI could bathe in this dressing! Soooo good. Crumble some tortilla chips on top for a salty crunch!
0 Helpful