Easy Weeknight Dinner Salad

Layered Mexican salad is one of those meals you can make when you crave something flavorful but can’t think of anything else to cook. All you need are greens, a few vegetables, and something to give it a Mexican flavor.

I’ve tried it with a variety of different beans. I like it with black beans, but you can use any beans you prefer.

Offer a side of your favorite chips, such as these delicious homemade corn tortilla chips. And if you have the time, try your hand at this super easy homemade salsa.

How to Make a Layered Mexican Salad

First, line the bottom of a bowl with nacho chips. Make sure you have enough to help scoop some of the goodness from the salad.

Secondly, add a layer of lettuce. I like to chop it into smaller pieces so you don’t have it flopping all over the place and making a mess.

Next, add some cherry tomato halves. You can use as many as you want.

Scoop a layer of black beans over the lettuce and tomatoes. Similarly, add a layer of chili—either with or without beans. I used the one without since I’m already using black beans.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the chili.

Next, add a dollop of guacamole to the salad.

Also scoop some sour cream onto the salad. You can add anything else you want at any time.

Finally, pour a little bit of salsa over the salad.

Now your delicious layered Mexican salad with black beans is ready to eat!

Add-Ons for Layered Mexican Salad

I’ll eat almost anything that’s spicy and full of flavor, so I enjoy a variety of things on my salad. This one has black beans, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and medium salsa. I occasionally use the hot salsa when I’m in the mood.

Other add-ons may include corn, jalapeños, bell peppers, onions, cucumbers, olives, radishes, and zucchini. In fact, you can even use rice if you want to tone down the flavor intensity a bit. I’ve done that when children are at the table.

If you want more meat than what you’ll get from the chili, feel free to add pieces of cooked chicken, shrimp, ground beef, or bite-size bits of steak. Or add more beans if you want.

Please feel free to share!