Tex Mex Salad Made Easy In Your Pressure Cooker
This Tex Mex Salad is a crunchy, healthy, veggie-packed dish tossed in a tangy Southwestern-inspired dressing. It features sweet grilled corn, tender black beans, fresh vegetables, shredded cheddar, and crispy tortilla strips for a perfect balance of flavors and textures in just 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 large limes - fresh squeezed please, it’s key!
- 1 tablespoon honey the little sweet fix that brightens it up
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika smoky and mellow, no overpowering here
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin bringing that earthy warmth you crave
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt carefully measured for perfect seasoning
- 1/2 cup cooking oil or olive oil this goes into your zesty dressing
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil or olive oil for grilling those corn kernels real good
- 2 cups corn kernels defrosted if frozen, gotta have that fresh crunch and char
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese melty, gooey goodness
- 2 hearts romaine finely chopped
- 3 stalks green onions chopped
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips crunch that holds up no matter what
Instructions
Instructions
- Make the dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey, paprika, ground cumin, and salt. Add ½ cup of oil and whisk well until evenly combined. (Alternatively, you can just combine all of these ingredients in a well-sealed jar and shake it well.)
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the corn kernels in a single layer. Let the corn cook, without stirring, until deep golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes. (If it starts to pop and jump out of the pan, it’s probably ready.) Season the corn with ½ teaspoon of salt and stir it once. Add the beans and stir until heated through. Transfer the corn and beans to a large mixing bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of the dressing over top and stir everything together. (This will help cool the corn and beans down.)
- To the mixing bowl, add the bell pepper, cheddar cheese, romaine, green onions, avocado, and tomatoes. Gently toss everything together.
- Crumble the tortilla chips / strips over the top of the salad or fold them in right before serving. They’ll add some great crunch, but be sure not to let the salad sit for long after adding them or they won’t stay crispy.
- Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge if you want it to last a few days. Just toss the tortilla strips in right before serving so they stay crunchy.
- If you wanna prep ahead, keep the dressing separate from the salad ingredients. Mix them only when you’re ready to eat or serve. For avocado lovers, wait to cube and add your avocado until serving time. It keeps that fresh green color and texture perfect.
Notes
If you want to save time, you can use frozen corn and skip the step to sear it in the skillet. This step cooks raw corn but it also adds a great caramelized flavor to frozen corn. It’s a flavor-building step, but you’ll still have a great salad even without searing the corn and beans.