mexican rainbow salad;
This Mexican rainbow salad is so satisfying, With hearty chunks of fresh tomatoes, onions, and avocados amidst beans, corn, and cheese this hearty salad is as colorful as it is delicious! Top with homemade cornbread croutons for extra flavor and texture that makes you keep coming back for more! Mexican rainbow salad lives up to its name with a beautiful assortment of red and orange tomatoes, yellow corn two ways, green avocado, blue/black black beans, and purple onions. Not to mention the white cheese. You really can taste the rainbow!
The key to any good salad is local, fresh produce to maximize the simple ingredients you’re using. If you have a local farmers market or can even grow the tomatoes yourself I highly recommend! There’s something about a sun ripened tomato that just can’t be beat at the peak of freshness. Of course, grocery stores make convenient and plenty nutritious veggies available too. Full disclosure I made this with supermarket produce, but I’m looking forward to trying it again once summer farmers market season hits!
Because we’re using fresh produce for our Mexican rainbow salad, we want the peak of ripeness. Choose your avocado wisely, based on when you plan to eat the salad. I grabbed two avocados, one a little less ripe and only cut one into my salad. I’ll let the other one ripen a few days on the counter and add more later in the week. Since I meal prep a big salad for myself for the week, this works great for two reasons. One, it adds back some bright green after the first few days might leave some avocado tinged brown, and it refreshes the whole Mexican rainbow salad by adding some freshness in the latter half of the week.
Choose your avocado wisely depending on when you plan to eat the Mexican rainbow salad.
Secret to success
Same goes for tomatoes. You want juicy, plump, flavorful tomatoes that are ripe but not too mushy. When I chop the tomatoes, I like to do large chunks and keep the seeds and center part. If you prefer you could trim and discard the centers but I don’t mind them in this Mexican rainbow salad. Entirely up to preference though.
If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes or specifically orange or yellow ones, my alternative swap is some bell peppers. I feel like orange or yellow you can find just about anywhere now and can be good for a little extra crunch.
If you can’t find orange or yellow heirloom tomatoes, swap in bell peppers.
secret to success
The other ingredients are pretty straightforward. If using frozen corn thaw it, although if you’re not eating it immediately it doesn’t even much matter. I honestly tossed in the corn straight from the freezer and by the time I finished prepping the corn was thawed and perfect in the salad. Keep in mind that “prepping” for me involves chasing a toddler who wants to help with everything (super fun! But definitely slows me down…). So you might be faster than me in which case you might need to exercise some additional patience in waiting for your corn (or pop it on defrost in the microwave). Drain and rinse your beans; chop the onion. Try not to cry.
The Dijon vinaigrette for our Mexican rainbow salad is so simple and so delicious. Premade dressings are wonderful but there’s something zesty about making your own vinaigrette at home. Somehow it’s zingier and packs more of a punch. But if you don’t have time, throw your favorite seasoning on this puppy.
Premade dressings are great for a pinch, but this dijon vinagrette is simple and better than storebought.
secret to success
I almost think of this dressing like a marinade more than a dressing. It’s delicious immediately upon dressing but it just gets better and better as it sits there throughout the week.
If possible, I recommend making your cornbread croutons right before serving your Mexican rainbow salad. When they’re a little bit warm and toasty, it really just elevates every spoonful. I often will use premade corn bread or corn muffins from the store (did I mention I have a toddler and no time anymore?), sometimes even a boxed mix. But if you have the time and forethought, I highly recommend making Mexican cornbread with green chilies and cheddar cheese. Best way to use up some leftovers after serving them fresh!
secrets to success;
Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!
more recipes;
Looking for other delicious recipes? Check out these favorites on Best with Chocolate:
- Make your own green chili cheesy cornbread to take your Mexican rainbow salad up a notch!
- Another fresh and refreshing salad that is one of my go-tos is this sweet celery salad. Celery, microgreens, toasted nuts, dates, and apples make for a super refreshing healthy meal.
- Enchiladas Verdes is always a classic and a yummy way to prep a large dinner ahead of time for a crowd!
mexican rainbow salad;
Ingredients
salad;
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes orange & yellow, diced (or sub bell peppers)
- 1 cup canned or thawed frozen corn
- 1-2 avocados
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 can black beans
- cornbread cubed and toasted
- feta cheese (or cojita)
dressing;
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Drain and rinse beans and add to a large bowl. Add 1 cup corn as well.
- Wash and dry all produce. Dice Roma and heirloom tomatoes into 1” chunks. Add to the bowl.
- Slice the avocado in half and discard the pit. (Best way to do this is gently whack your knife into the pit and use that to lift it out. If ripe, should come out easily.)
- Roughly dice onions and add to the salad.
- Crumble the feta cheese into the bowl and toss together to combine.
- Dressing
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Mix to combine.
- If using cornbread, cut into roughly 1” crouton cubes. I often use storebought cornbread or corn muffins, but my Mexican cornbread with green chiles and cheese goes great with this recipe! Toast the cornbread in a toaster oven or toaster until crisp on the outside and lightly brown.
- Serve with cornbread croutons immediately while they’re still warm. If planning ahead, store the croutons separately to keep them from getting soggy. The dressing works as a lovely marinade and gets better the longer it sits!
