Loaded Mexican kale salad with avocado, black beans, corn and more tossed in a delicious honey lime dressing! Vegan-friendly, great for meal prep and ready in 20 minutes.
We all love a good taco salad recipe, but sometimes it's nice to healthify things up a little bit. This Mexican kale salad is my go-to when I'm craving something fresh, tasty, and loaded with vegetables!
Kale is one of my favorite greens: it is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, keeps well for meal prep, and goes well with so many flavors (hello Kale Caesar Salad, Kale Pasta Salad!).
Today we are loading our kale salad up with all the good stuff and tossing it all up in a delicious honey lime vinaigrette.
And with a few tricks, this salad can keep for meal prep. Yay!
This Mexican kale salad
- is ready in 20 minutes
- is vegan-friendly
- can work for meal prep with a few tricks
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how this salad is made! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Types of kale
Kale comes in a whole bunch of different varieties including curly (pictured), Tuscan (aka: Lacinato or dinosaur kale) or baby kale. You can use any type for this salad.
- If you use baby kale, I would skip the massaging step
- If you use curly or Tuscan kale, make sure you cut the stem out
The trick to avoiding bitter kale
If you are the kind of person who avoids kale because of it's bitter flavor and tough texture, you've got to try massaging it! While this might sound kind of strange, giving your kale a 2-3 minute massage works amazingly well to mellow the flavors and give it a softer texture.
Let's talk dressing
For this recipe, we are making a tangy and fresh honey lime vinaigrette. It lightly coats all the ingredients and brings a fresh, tangy flavor!
If you are looking for something creamier, try my creamy cilantro lime dressing.
Additional toppings
In addition to the delicious toppings listed, you can totally get creative here and add in some other things you might have in the fridge to your chopped kale salad:
- jalapenos
- pickled onions
- jicima
- roasted sweet potato
- other greens (spinach, romaine)
- and so many more things...
Lunch on the go
With a few adjustments, this Mexican kale salad can work for meal prep. Some of the ingredients in this recipe are not meal prep friendly: crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and cilantro, so we need to leave these off the salad until just before serving.
To store this kale salad for meal prep, I store in mason jars and layer in the following order:
- vinaigrette on the bottom
- beans, corn
- kale
- bell peppers, onions
- tomatoes on the top
To serve, shake it out in a bowl, top with tortilla chips or strips, and add avocado if desired. I would leave the cilantro out as it become finicky trying to chop fresh cilantro at lunchtime 😆
More salad recipes
- Southwestern Wild Rice + Sweet Potato Salad
- Black Bean + Corn Salad
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Asian Chicken Soba Noodle Salad
- Caprese Chicken Quinoa Salad
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Loaded Mexican Kale Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cups kale (shredded, washed & dried)
- 11.5 oz can of corn (drained & rinsed)
- 15 oz can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
- ⅓ cup red onion (diced)
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped; loosely packed)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 1 large avocado (cubed)
- 1 cup tortilla strips
Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ lime (zested)
- ½ teaspoon dijon
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Place washed & dried kale into a large bowl. Massage with your hands for 3-5 minutes, until soft and sort of wilted.
- Add all other salad ingredients.
- Shake vinaigrette ingredients together, then pour over the salad.
- Toss and serve!
For meal prep
- Omit the avocado, cilantro and tortilla strips.
- Store in 1 pint mason jars for up to 4 days.
- Layer in the following order:*vinaigrette on the bottom*beans, corn*kale*bell peppers, onions*tomatoes on the top
- To serve, shake out the jar into a bowl. Top with tortilla strips and freshly cut avocado and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition Information
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