Southwest Summer Salad

Tossed in a vibrant and tangy dressing, fresh corn, bell pepper, red onion and black beans shine in this delicious Southwest Summer Salad.

Summer salads are fun, fresh and light. This is a great salad to make for a potluck or a picnic. It travels well, tastes better the second day, and it makes a great lunch!

What You’ll Need to Make Southwest Summer Salad

• Corn – we love using fresh corn on the cob for this salad. When cutting it off the cob, shuck the corn and cut downwards to cut off the kernels. Break them up slightly but don’t worry if some of the kernels remain stuck together. Frozen corn may be used instead, just be sure to thaw it first.

• Red Bell Pepper – seeded and cut into bite sized pieces. You want to use a sweeter pepper for this salad so yellow pepper or orange pepper are good substitutions if you don’t have red.

• Black Beans – canned, drained and rinsed. 15 ounce can. Substitutions include pinto beans, white beans or kidney beans.

• Red Onion – chopped. Substitutions include purple onion, green onions, white onion, or shallot.

• Jalapeño – medium size, seeded and chopped. Feel free to leave this out if you want to but it does not make the salad overly spicy.

• Cilantro – one bunch, chopped, around 1/3 of a cup. This is used in both the salad and the dressing. If you don’t like cilantro, parley may be substituted.

• Fresh Limes – 2 medium limes, juiced, to make about 1/4 cup. Bottled lime juice may be substituted.

• Apple Cider Vinegar – this is our favorite vinegar for salad dressing but red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar are good substitutions.

• Olive Oil – any olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil may be used.

• Honey – this adds just the right amount of sweetness but if you need substitute, white sugar or brown sugar may be used in equal amounts.

• Pantry Spices – smoked paprika (can also use regular), kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and cumin.

• Avocado – one medium, peeled and sliced, for serving if desired. This can be chopped and mixed into the salad instead but it does have a tendency to brown over time so we add it only when serving.

How to Make Southwest Summer Salad

This easy salad is a great addition to any potluck or a picnic. Makes a great side dish or a delicious light lunch. Fresh, light and a great use of seasonal summer produce!

Wash and chop all salad ingredients. Shuck the corn and cut off the kernels. Add to a large bowl. If using frozen corn, thaw first.

Add bell pepper, beans, onion, jalapeno and 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro to the bowl.

In a separate small bowl, make the dressing by combining lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, paprika, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and chopped cilantro. Whisk together until well blended.

Pour the dressing over the salad.

Toss until well coated. Serve immediately with sliced avocado if desired.

Refrigerate any leftovers and stir before serving. Enjoy!

Other Great Shareable Recipes You May Like

Bite Sized Sausage Rolls – Easy to make, bite sized pastry wrapped sausage bites. Perfect for game day!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip – Use deli chicken salad to add a delicious twist.

Easy Homemade Ranch Dip – just seven simple pantry ingredients! Delicious and easy.

Quick and Easy Bruschetta – Super simple restaurant quality Bruschetta with stuff you have in the fridge!

Perfect Potluck Pasta Salad – Assembled, chilled and ready to eat in about 45 minutes.