A salad so beautiful, you’ll barely want to eat it! But you’ll definitely want to because this southwestern chopped salad is full of flavor, thanks to an easy to make dressing and tons of great vegetables.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This chopped salad is so crunchy and colorful! You can make it in a bowl if you prefer.
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: measuring cup, sharp knife, jar or bowl
Servings: 1 large salad
Beautiful layers of flavor and nutrition make this mason jar salad a meal prep dream come true! You’ll look forward to this vegetarian southwestern chopped salad waiting for you in your fridge.
Mason jar salads are all the rage lately, and for good reason! The dressing waiting at the bottom is kept separate from the other ingredients, preventing the horrors of a soggy salad. They are perfect for meal prep on the weekend and easy weekday meals, all ready to go with no soggy salad.
Have you tried my caprese mason jar salad? Try it with that basil in your garden you need to use!
Dressing: All you need are two simple ingredients: canned enchilada sauce and Greek yogurt. It’s full of flavor thanks to the enchilada sauce (you can use mild or medium, whatever you prefer) and the yogurt makes it so creamy.
Grain: Layered on top of the dressing in the mason jar is your favorite grain. I use freekeh in mine, but quinoa or brown rice are good choices, too.
Black Beans: On top of the grain, add black beans or pinto beans. They provide protein so you’ll be full all afternoon.
Chopped Vegetables: Lastly are all the beautiful vegetables. I use green onions, tomato, jicama, red cabbage, bell peppers, corn and cilantro. Choose what you like or happen to have in the fridge. You can make as many or as few layers as you like.
To Serve: When you’re ready to eat, you just need to dump it in a bowl and mix it all together. By the way, this salad doesn’t have to be made in a jar. You can put the ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing, mix it together, and eat it right away.
Happy lunching!
Southwestern Chopped Salad in Mason Jar
Ingredients
For Dressing (makes enough for 4 salads)
- ½ cup red enchilada sauce (from a 10 ounce can)
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
For 1 Mason Jar Salad
- 3 tablespoons dressing
- ½ cup cooked freekeh (quinoa, farro, brown rice, or another grain can be substituted)
- ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 1 roma tomato, seeds removed, diced (any type of tomato can be used)
- ½ cup diced jicama
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- ¼ cup diced red bell peppers
- ½ cup fresh sweet corn (canned or frozen corn can be substituted)
- Cilantro to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together enchilada sauce and Greek yogurt until combined.
- Place 3 tablespoons of dressing in the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar. Follow with your favorite grain.
- Follow with remaining ingredients, creating beautiful layers. Place in fridge until ready to serve, or up to 3 to 4 days depending on freshness of the produce used.
- When ready to serve, pour into a bowl and mix to combine all ingredients.
Notes
- This is a very flexible recipe. If you can’t find all the vegetables, it will still be great. I recommend cabbage, red or green, for its terrific crunch. Lettuce tends to get soft.
- Meal prep this salad when you have extra time. The salad keeps great in the fridge.
- You don’t have to make this salad in a jar. Just put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Why is the sodium almost at the daily limit?
Hi Kristy! Thanks for pointing that out. It’s an error…we use a nutrition calculator and sometimes it’s a bit buggy. In this case, because of the way the recipe is written, it was calculating the full amount of dressing for one salad. And enchilada sauce isn’t exactly low-sodium, so that’s why that number was so large. I went in and did a more manual calculation and updated the recipe. Thanks for letting us know!
This was delicious. I made several for the week! The dressing would also be good just as a veggie dip for zucchini, carrots, whatever. I used a different combination of vegetables then was listed, but I agree almost anything could be used. Thanks!
So glad you liked them! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave your thoughts – it means the world to me! Happy cooking! :)
Going to try this today. I love healthy.
I hope you loved it!
I adore mason jar salads, and the colors and flavors in this one are to die for! <3 Can't wait to put this one in the fridge!
Thank you, Rachel!