Mexican Caesar Salad
Servings: 6 people (as a side dish)
This Mexican Caesar Salad reinvents an old classic, and the results couldn’t be any better! Lettuce is tossed in a homemade, Mexican-inspired Caesar dressing, then topped with crunchy tortilla strips, toasty pepitas, crumbled Mexican cheese, creamy diced avocado, and fresh cilantro for a bold, fresh, and completely irresistible new twist.
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Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese or queso fresco, crumbled
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
Salad
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce chopped
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese or quesa fresca, crumbled
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1 cup tortilla strips
- ¼ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup cilantro
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons lime juice, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup cotija cheese, 2 Tablespoons cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to a food processor and process until smooth. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and additional pepper, to taste.
- Add 2 hearts romaine lettuce to a large bowl and toss with your preferred amount of dressing. Top with ⅓ cup cotija cheese, 1 large avocado, 1 cup tortilla strips, ¼ cup pepitas and ¼ cup cilantro .
- Enjoy with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Storing
- Store any leftover Mexican Caesar salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The crisp tortilla strips will get soggy over time, so it’s best to store them separately from the salad.
- If you plan to make tortilla strips from scratch for this salad, go ahead and make them 2-3 days before serving this salad, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Likewise, the creamy dressing can be made ahead and stored in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a good stir or shake before using.
- Assemble this salad just before serving as the crunchy and crisp salad components will soften and wilt quickly with the dressing. It’s not the type of salad you want to make too far ahead.
- Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. That way, you can easily make adjustments to suit your preferences.
- You can make the creamy Caesar salad dressing 1-2 days ahead and store in an airtight jar in the fridge. Make sure to shake the jar well before coating the lettuce as it could have separated in storage.
- Lightly toast the pepitas in a dry pan for extra crunch and depth.
- Add avocado just before serving to prevent browning. If prepping ahead, toss diced avocado with a little extra lime juice.
- If making your own from tortilla strips, bake or fry them fresh. If using store-bought, add them last so they stay crunchy.
- Spice it up - Add a small jalapeño (seeded) to the dressing for a kick of heat. You can also add some heat by whisking a pinch of red pepper flakes, a few dashes of hot sauce, harissa paste, or some finely diced Calabrian chiles into the dressing.
- Whisking the dressing - If whisking the dressing ingredients by hand, make sure to finely grate the garlic and chop the cilantro very finely too so the flavors distribute well.
- Gluten-free Mexican Caesar salad - Use corn tortilla strips to make this salad gluten-free.
- Vegan Mexican Caesar Salad - Follow this 5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing recipe and omit the cheese from the salad ingredients.
- Low-carb Mexican Caesar salad - Ditch the tortilla strips and add in extra toasted pepitas, corn nuts, or Quicos.
- Protein boost - Add in some grilled shrimp, blackened chicken, roasted and spiced chickpeas, or thinly sliced steak.