The view outside my window on this Turkey Tuesday – gray, cloudy, slightly rainy, and cool – is whispering soup or mac-n-cheese or something comfort-y/warm. But I refuse to listen, people. It’s April and it’s spring and I’m in the mood for a light, crisp, salad with tons of protein, veggies, and flavor.
Enter the Southwest Turkey Chopped Salad.
Turkey? Check.
Crisp, cool romaine lettuce? Check.
Green peppers, tomatoes, corn, and cilantro. Check, check, check, and check.
And did I mention black beans, tortilla chips, and a creamy southwestern dressing? (I said light – not devoid of flavor.)
Good stuff, here. A recipe filling enough for Teacher Man but light enough for a summer day (or a wanna-be spring day in Minnesota).
Plus there’s a really easy way to make this, like, the easiest chopped salads in the history of, well, chopped salads. It’s called rotisserie turkey breast from your local supermarket!
Our Cub Foods in Buffalo often has Jennie-O rotisserie turkey breasts side-by-side with the rotisserie chicken, and it’s a brilliant way to shortcut (my new verb) this fairly quick-already salad if you don’t already have some leftover turkey in the fridge.
Don’t have rotisserie turkey breast available? Then your next choice should be a package of Jennie-O turkey tenderloins, baked in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until they reach 165 degrees. Can’t find turkey tenderloins in the supermarket? Then get after your meat manager to stock this versatile product. (Or okay, if you must, I will allow you to use rotisserie chicken or chicken breasts as a back-up. But I’ll be a little disappointed, I’m not going lie.)
Let me know what you think if you give this recipe a whirl! Until next time … remember to keep trying turkey!
Lara
Southwest Turkey Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced rotisserie or leftover turkey or a package of JENNIE-O® Extra Lean Boneless Turkey Breast Tenderloins
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup sweet yellow corn {canned or frozen and defrosted}
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 4 green onions washed and diced (white and green parts)
- 1 large romaine heart washed and chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro washed and chopped
- 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips.
- In a small bowl, stir all dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- When ready to serve, toss salad with dressing then gently stir in tortilla chips.