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Mexican Wedge Salad

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This Mexican wedge salad is crisp, refreshing and loaded with flavor. A wedge of iceberg lettuce is topped with veggies, black beans, avocado, pepitas, and cheese. Then drizzled with creamy cilantro lime dressing.

📌 Pin Mexican Wedge Salad

Wedge Salad Recipe served with colorful ingredients.

This Mexican wedge salad is like a party on a plate. It conjures up the vibrant flavors of Mexico, as well as celebrations like Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. This healthy side can be paired with almost any dinner.

For additional flavor, feel free to add more delicious toppings. Like crispy, crunchy (cooked) bacon crumbles. Or sliced black olives and diced fire-roasted green chiles. If you don’t have cilantro lime dressing on hand, feel free to use another creamy option like buttermilk ranch dressing.

Mexican Wedge Salad with cilantro lime dressing.

🛒 Ingredients

  • Iceberg Lettuce: The base for our Mexican wedge salad.
  • Cherry Tomatoes (or grape tomatoes): A perfect pairing with salad.
  • Bell Pepper: Adds a delicious earthy flavor and crunchy texture.
  • Corn Kernels: Add farm-fresh sweetness to the salad. You can use the kernels from grilled corn on the cob, or sweet canned corn.
  • Black Beans: Contribute protein and carbs, and a deep savory flavor.
  • Purple Onion: Adds color, crunch, and a mild sweet flavor.
  • Haas Avocado: Has a smooth, buttery, creamy texture with a rich taste.
  • Cilantro Lime Dressing: Homemade or store-bought. Adds a bright and creamy Mexican flavor.
  • Queso Fresco (or Cotija): A flavorful Mexican cheese that’s slightly salty and mildly tangy.
  • Pepitas: Roasted pumpkin seeds contribute texture and a nutty flavor.
  • Colorful Tortilla Strips: Add a festive look and crunchy taste.
Colorful Mexican Salad served on a white plate.

📖 RECIPE STEPS

RECIPE PREP: Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce. Then rinse the head of lettuce under cold running water. Pat it dry between paper towels.

  • STEP 1: With a serrated knife (bread knife), slice the head of lettuce (from top to core) into four quarters. Slice off the hard pieces of stem and core from the wedges and discard them.
  • STEP 2. Place each wedge on a salad plate. You can either stand the wedges upright, or put the wedges on their side.
  • STEP 3: Top the salad with colorful veggies like corn kernels, bell peppers and red onion. Add black beans and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle kosher salt on each wedge, along with some ground black pepper.
  • STEP 4: Arrange avocado slices on the side. Dress the salad with cilantro lime dressing. Sprinkle the Mexican wedge salad with Pepitas, Mexican cheese and colorful tortilla strips.
Mexican Wedge Salad Recipe

🧑🏼‍🍳 RECIPE FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making a Mexican wedge salad, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

Is a wedge salad a side or a meal?

It can be both. As a meal, a wedge salad is usually enjoyed for lunch. For dinner it’s often served before the main entrée.

How to cut iceberg lettuce into wedges?

Remove and discard outer leaves. Rinse the head under cold running water. Pat dry between paper towels. Place head of lettuce on a board. With a serrated knife, cut it in half (from top to core). Cut each half into half (from top to core). Chop off the pieces of stem/core and discard.

What are pepitas?

Pepitas are roasted pumpkin seeds without the shells. They have a sweet mild flavor and are often used for garnishing salads. At the market, look for them in the same section as nuts and other seeds.

Where to find colorful corn tortilla strips?

At the market, look for pages of them near the salad dressings and salad toppings. If you can’t find any, you can replace them with another crunchy topping like these mini sourdough croutons.

Colorful Mexican Wedge Salad with flavorful garnishes.

🥗 MORE DELICIOUS SALAD RECIPES

RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated this the BEST Mexican wedge salad. One tester said the presentation of this dish, along with the toppings and cilantro lime dressing, reminded him of a wedge salad he enjoyed at a restaurant in Mexico City.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

Gold Line: Sprinkles of Inspiration | confettiandbliss.com
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Wedge Salad Recipe served with colorful ingredients.

Mexican Wedge Salad


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4.9 from 8 reviews

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Description

This Mexican wedge salad is crisp, refreshing, and loaded with flavorful toppings. It’s garnished with Pepitas, cheese, and tortilla strips, then drizzled with creamy cilantro lime dressing.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 head of Iceburg lettuce, quartered
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole or halved
  • 1 cup chopped bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
  • 1/2 cup purple onion, chopped or sliced
  • 1 cup canned black beans, well drained
  • 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
  • 1 Haas avocado, sliced
  • 1 cup crumbled Mexican cheese (Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese)
  • 2 cups multi-colored tortilla strips (or croutons)
  • 1 cup Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, homemade or store-bought
  • 1/2 cup Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

RECIPE PREP: Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce. Then rinse the head of lettuce under cold running water. Pat it dry between lint-free kitchen towels.

  1. With a serrated knife, slice the head of lettuce (from top to core) into four quarters. Slice off the pieces of stem and core from the wedges, and discard them.
  2. Place each wedge on a salad plate. You can either stand the wedges upright, or put the wedges on their side. Either way works.
  3. Top the salad with colorful veggies like corn kernels, bell peppers and red onion. Add black beans and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a few twists of freshly-ground black pepper. Arrange avocado slices on the side.
  4. Drizzle cilantro lime dressing over the wedges. Sprinkle the top with pepitas, Mexican cheese and colorful tortilla strips. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Notes

What are Pepitas? They’re roasted pumpkin seeds without the shells. They have a sweet mild flavor and are often used for garnishing salads. At the market, look for them in the same section as nuts and other seeds.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Cutting
  • Cuisine: Mexican
Gold Line: Sprinkles of Inspiration | confettiandbliss.com

MEXICAN WEDGE SALAD 👉🏻 JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

Do you enjoy eating a variety of healthy, colorful salads? What do you think about this flavorful Mexican wedge salad? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Mexican Wedge Salad

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23 Comments

  1. This really makes me want to make a salad like this. I’ll have to pick up some corn, black beans and avocado. Was making the dressing homemade hard?

  2. Wow!! This really look very delicious! Definitely letting my mom read this and made this for the family.

  3. I have never had a wedge salad before. This new spin on it though makes it look tasty. I love Mexican food so adding the queso, corn and cilantro dressing make it look more inviting.

  4. This salad looks too pretty to eat! And it’s so healthy, with so many vitamins packed on one plate. Avocados are actually one of my favorite vegetables.






  5. Hmm awesome recipe! I love grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocados so combining the three into this Mexicna wedge salad is a great idea.

  6. Yum! I’m vegetarian and so this looks super great and also like a wonderful complete meal! Thank you for posting. Excited to try this.

  7. Oh my that looks so good. That is my kind of salad. I plan on making this soon. I also am sharing your post on FB and Pinterest.






  8. I really love how you began with “This salad is literally a party on a plate.” It’s exactly what it looks like! :) I am sure if I make this for my girlfriend, she would go crazy. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. This is something I want to try out some time soon.

  9. I served this wedge salad as an appetizer before our white chicken chilli last night. It was delicious!
    I didn’t have any Mexican cheese so I soaked a small block of feta in milk and then crumbled that over. Will definitely be buying some Cotija cheese next time I go to the store as we will DEFINITELY be having this again. YUM!