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Delicious Southwestern Salad Bowl, with jicama, tomatoes, black beans, red pepper, and cilantro, is served in a baked taco shell, with a zesty chipotle dressing.

Overhead view of southwestern salad bowl on a red square plate. Garnished with lime wedge and cilantro leaves.

You’ll love the flavors and crunch of this southwestern salad bowl. Loaded with veggies, black beans for protein, and a tangy chipotle mustard vinaigrette, it’s a salad I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Served in homemade flour tortilla bowls, this satisfying salad boasts taco flavored Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, so there’s plenty of protein to fill you up. 

Everyone could use a “skinny” recipe here and there. In fact, it should probably should happen more often than carry-out ribs and cupcake shops. When Saucy Mama asked me to participate in her annual contest, I jumped right in. This year it is called “Skinny Mama – Cooking with Mustard.” 

About this Southwestern Salad bowl recipe

This recipe looks long but it is super simple and easy to throw together. You can even cut up the veggies, make the dressing and tortilla bowls in advance. EASY.

Aren’t these tortilla bowls nifty? They’re fun to make. Simply spray small flour tortillas on both sides with non-stick cooking spray. Tuck tortillas into spaces in an upside-down muffin tin so that they have a flat bottom. Bake until golden brown and crispy all over. I bet you can think of all sorts of ways to fill these cute bowls.

Overhead image of upside down cupcake tin with baked flour tortilla wedged in between cups.

The vinaigrette is simple. I just love Saucy Mama’s Chipotle Mustard. Combine the mustard with olive oil, fresh lime juice, and just a bit of sugar for a really super vinaigrette. You can use this vinaigrette for all sorts of salads or sandwiches. You may want to make a double batch.

The salad itself consists of leaf or romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro, red bell pepper, julienned jicama, black beans, tomatoes, and green onions. Add the lettuce and cilantro to the bowl first, and mix the rest of the ingredients with the vinaigrette. Put that mixture on top of the lettuce, and top with homemade southwestern Greek yogurt (simply plain nonfat Greek yogurt with taco seasoning stirred in).

Closeup of small red tomato shaped dish containing taco flavored Greek yogurt.

Aren’t these salads beautiful? I love how they look on this square red plate! (Thanks, Mom, for letting me borrow it.) 

Square red plate containing two salads, lime wedges, and cilantro leaves.

Note: The challenge was to create a diet friendly or low-calorie recipe. Each salad bowl comes in under 300 calories.  Not too shabby! You’ll be left feeling full, satisfied, and great about yourself.

Overhead partial view of two salads on red square plate.

 

Overhead view of southwestern salad bowl on a red square plate. Garnished with lime wedge and cilantro leaves.

Southwestern Salad Bowls with Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette

Yield: 8 salad bowls
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes

Delicious Southwestern Salad Bowl, with jicama, tomatoes, black beans, red pepper, and cilantro, is served in a baked taco shell, with a zesty chipotle dressing.

Ingredients

  • 8 small flour tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups leaf lettuce or romaine
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 whole red bell pepper, julienned
  • 1/2 of a jicama, julienned
  • one 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Yogurt topping

  • one 6 ounce container of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon taco seasoning

Instructions

Tortilla Bowls

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Wrap 8 small flour tortillas in a paper towel and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until it they are soft and flexible.
  3. Spray tortillas on both sides with non-stick cooking spray. Tuck tortillas into spaces in upside-down muffin tin so that they have a flat bottom. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown and crispy all over. Cool.

Salad

  1. Divide lettuce and cilantro into 8 tortilla bowls.
  2. n a large bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Add red pepper, jicama, black beans, tomato and green onions; stir to combine. Divide this mixture into tortilla bowls.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and taco seasoning. Top each salad with a small dollop of yogurt.
  4. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 small salad
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 8gSugar: 3gProtein: 12g

RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Rachel Gurk
Cuisine: American / Category: Salads
Verdict: DELICIOUS. This is my kind of meal. If we’re excluding mac & cheese and popcorn, of course.
Husband’s take: He didn’t try this (and wouldn’t like it without meat), but other family members gave it their seal of approval.
Changes I would make: None. However, this would be easy to customize to your tastes and you could easily add meat (shredded chicken or ground turkey would be good). You could also add different vegetables or add some shredded cheese.
Difficulty: Easy!

Update: Giveaway has closed. Congrats to Geni!