I have been rocking all the salads this summer and I have no apologies!
If there is one thing I hope people learn from reading my blog is that salads don’t have to be boring. They can be a delicious and healthy way to get your veggies, greens, and even your entire meal into your day.
As you know I recently started playing around with salads in a jar. First there were my chicken caprese salad jar salads, and now these lovely Mexican salads in a jar.
They are perfect for meal prepping so that you can have a quick grab and go meal through out the week.
Best part? They make use of my healthy ranch dressing recipes from Monday! See how thoughtful I am?
Of course, you can use any of the three health ranch dressing recipes for this salad: plain, classic healthy ranch dressing, jalapeno lime ranch dressing, or chipotle ranch dressing. Any of the three would be a delicious choice, or you could even make two flavors and have two jars with one dressing and the other two with the other dressing. Possibilities.
I chose to use my jalapeno lime ranch dressing because it’s may fave of the three…and well because the color. Food styling lead the way this time!
Okay, so once you make your choice of healthy ranch dressing, only takes 10 minutes to make, all you really have to do is chop some veggies and assemble the jars!
See, who said meal prepping couldn’t be quick and easy?!
I took the super easy, shortcut way out and bought a rotisserie chicken to make these Mexican salads in a jar. Saves me from heating up my kitchen in the summer, saves me a ton of time, and gets me out of the kitchen faster – no apologizes there either!
Here’s how we assemble these Mexican salads in a jar:
- spoon in some healthy ranch dressing – dressing on the bottom keeps it away from the lettuce. Say NO to soggy lettuce!
- drop in some whole grape or cherry tomatoes – the tomatoes are “hearty” and can withstand the dressing for several days without getting soggy.
- cooked cooled chicken is next
- black beans – extra protein and fiber.
- raw corn cut straight from the cob – have you tried it? So crunchy and sweet.
- crunchy red bell pepper – this way it is far away from the dressing so it won’t get soggy either
- mixed greens! Stuff them in there! Far away from the dressing. No soggy salads!
Screw on the lid and pop them into your fridge!
That’s it!
Mexican salads in a jar will last in your fridge for 4 to 5 days!
Can you say work/school lunch ready to go all week long?!?!
Or easy, already made dinner. There are no rules for time of day that salad is consumed! Not in my world anyways!
You will love these Mexican salads in a jar!
They are bursting with flavor. That creamy, tangy, herb-y ranch dressing (maybe with a little spice depending on which flavor you make), with that tender chicken, juicy tomatoes, smokey black beans, crunchy sweet corn, sweet bell peppers, and the perfectly fresh, non-soggy lettuce is salad perfection!
Oh and hey, I almost forgot. You can totally add a cubed avocado and/or cotija cheese to your salad right before you eat it. Avocado and cheese are always a good decision, but they shouldn’t be added to the jars because they won’t stay as fresh. Also, if you haven’t noticed we kind of ran out of room in the mason jars ha!
That’s so that you won’t feel hungry 5 seconds after eating a salad.
Want to feel full and satisfied for hours from an entree salad?
Here’s how:
- add lots of protein
- healthy fat – helps keep you full longer – avocado, nuts, seeds, etc
- fiber – beans, grains, veggies
- make it big – Don’t skimp on your salad, pack it in with veggies
Now you know all there is to know about salads.
My work here is done.
Goodbye!
Just kidding.
I hope you enjoy these Mexican mason jar salads as much as we did. Let me know in the comments below which healthy ranch dressing flavor you made them with and where you ate your salad in a jar!
Was it at work? At school? At home? At a park? At a picnic?
Healthy food to go. My heart is happy!
Hey did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave me a comment below along with a star rating. This helps others to find my recipes easier….and just makes me really happy! Thanks friends!
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Mexican Salads in a Jar with Healthy Ranch Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 large salad jars 1x
- Category: Salad, Entree, Lunch, meal prep
- Method: Easy, Assemble
- Cuisine: Gluten Free, Healthy
Description
Mexican salads in a jar are perfect for meal prep. They stay fresh for 4 days, great for packed lunches or picnics. Packed with all the Mexican veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 of the 3 healthy ranch dressing recipes (I used Jalapeno lime ranch, but any flavor will work)
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups (1 1/2 cans) black beans , drained and rinsed
- 3 cups cooked, cooled, and chopped chicken (I used rotisserie chicken) (Or use leftover Instant Pot whole chicken)
- 2 cups raw corn, cut straight from the cob (or sub canned corn if out of season
- 1/4 cup red belle pepper, chopped
- 3 to 4 cups mixed greens
- Optional toppings:
- 1 to 2 avocados, cubed
- crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
- Prepare: If you haven’t done so already, make your healthy ranch dressing now (10 minutes). You can make any flavor you like, I used Jalapeno lime ranch. Click here for the recipe. Also, be sure to have some already cooked and cooled chicken ready to go. I used a rotisserie chicken but you could also use leftover chicken you may have on hand.
- Assemble the jars: You will need 4 24 ounce wide mouthed mason jars with lids for this recipe. Layer your salad as follows: 1) 3 tablespoons of healthy ranch dressing. 2) 1/2 cup grape tomatoes 3) 1/2 cup black beans 4) 1/2 cup cooled chicken 5) 1/2 cup corn 6) 1 tablespoon chopped red pepper 7) handful or two of the mixed greens. You can really stuff them in there at the end.
- Store: screw the lids on tight and store the salad jars in the fridge for 4 to 5 days
- Serve: When you are ready to eat the salad simply use a fork to help you empty the contents of the salad jar onto a large plate, toss to coat the dressing with all of the leaves and veggies. If you want you can top the salad with some cubed avocado and/or cotija cheese. I just recommend doing this just before eating to keep the ingredients nice and fresh.
Notes
Prep time does not reflect time needed to make the healthy ranch dressing (10 minutes).
You may have leftover ranch dressing. It will keep in your fridge for up to 2 weeks. Good for dipping veggies, using on salads, or pretty much anything!
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