This recipe for Mexican Caesar salad is crisp romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy cilantro dressing, then finished off with a variety of fun toppings. It’s Caesar salad in a whole new way that might be even better than the original!

Mexican Caesar Salad Recipe | Caesar Salad | Mexican Salad #salad #beans #lunch #dinner #dinneratthezoo - 1 Mexican Caesar salad with black beans, tomatoes, cotija cheese and tortilla strips. - 2

Remember how last week I was raving about that chopped greek salad I made? This Mexican Caesar salad is just as amazing (if not better!). Clearly it’s not a Caesar salad in the traditional sense, but a lot of the same elements are there – romaine lettuce, creamy dressing, shaved cheese and here we’ve got tortilla strips in lieu of croutons. I also added some extra toppings because in my opinion that’s the best part of any salad!

A bowl of romaine lettuce with beans, tomatoes, pepitas and cheese. - 3

How do you make Mexican Caesar salad?

Romaine lettuce forms the base for this Mexican Caesar salad and in the topping lineup we’ve got tortilla strips (you can also use crumbled chips), diced tomato, black beans, pepitas (aka toasted pumpkin seeds), crumbled cotija cheese and sliced avocado. It’s all topped off with a creamy cilantro dressing.

Creamy cilantro dressing drizzled over a bowl of Mexican Caesar salad. - 4

The dressing is made in a blender or food processor and is full of ingredients that add a ton of flavor like green chiles, pepitas, cotija cheese, lots of cilantro and lime juice. Toss the dressing with the lettuce and toppings and you’ve got salad perfection.

A fork in a bowl of Mexican style Caesar salad. - 5

This Mexican Caesar salad recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd, it would be the perfect contribution to a potluck! I like to make a batch of this salad and then eat it for lunch for days, so far I haven’t gotten tired of it. Regardless of how you eat it, you’ll love the bold flavors and textures in this Caesar salad variation.

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Ingredients1x2x3x

For the salad

  • ▢ 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • ▢ 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese (can substitute feta)
  • ▢ 1/2 cup diced and seeded tomatoes
  • ▢ 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • ▢ 1/2 cup tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
  • ▢ 1 avocado pitted and sliced
  • ▢ 1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • ▢ Optional garnishes: Lime wedges and cilantro leaves

For the dressing

  • ▢ 1 whole canned mild green chile or 1 anaheim pepper seeded, roasted and peeled
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ▢ 3 tablespoons cotija cheese finely crumbled (can substitute feta)
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
  • ▢ 1/3 cup olive oil
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • ▢ 3/4 cup cilantro leaves
  • ▢ 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or sour cream

Instructions

  • For the dressing:
  • Place all of the salad dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed to get to a pouring consistency.Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
  • For the salad:
  • Place the lettuce, tomatoes and beans in a large bowl. Add the dressing (in the amount you prefer) and toss to coat. Top the salad with tortilla strips, cotija cheese and avocado slices. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges if desired and serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition

This recipe for mexican caesar salad is crisp romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy cilantro dressing, then finished off with a variety of fun toppings. It's caesar salad in a whole new way that might be even better than the original! - 6 This recipe for mexican caesar salad is crisp romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy cilantro dressing, then finished off with a variety of fun toppings. It's caesar salad in a whole new way that might be even better than the original! - 7

Mexican Caesar Salad

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese (can substitute feta)
  • 1/2 cup diced and seeded tomatoes
  • 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
  • 1 avocado pitted and sliced
  • 1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • Optional garnishes: Lime wedges and cilantro leaves

For the dressing

  • 1 whole canned mild green chile or 1 anaheim pepper seeded, roasted and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons cotija cheese finely crumbled (can substitute feta)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or sour cream

Instructions

  • For the dressing:
  • Place all of the salad dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed to get to a pouring consistency.Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
  • For the salad:
  • Place the lettuce, tomatoes and beans in a large bowl. Add the dressing (in the amount you prefer) and toss to coat. Top the salad with tortilla strips, cotija cheese and avocado slices. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges if desired and serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition