You'll love this Southwest Salad with Catalina-Lime Dressing! It's easy to make your Catalina dressing, and you can customize the salad ingredients!
I have a strange relationship with salads. I love ordering them when I go out for lunch.
But at home, I usually don't want to bother with them. (Lazy!)
Well, apparently, my body decided it needs more salad, because I started craving one with hard-boiled eggs, avocado, corn, tomatoes, olives, black beans, cheese...so I made Southwest Salad with Catalina-Lime Dressing and can't get enough of it.
Let's start with the dressing. I've always loved Catalina French but stopped buying anything bottled a while ago.
Fortunately, it's so easy to make at home. I start with some Simply Heinz ketchup, which doesn't contain high-fructose corn syrup and tastes really good. (I have no affiliation with Heinz.)
From there, I add olive oil, a tablespoon each of balsamic vinegar and lime, a packet of Stevia (instead of a tablespoon of sugar) and then I season it with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. That's it!
It's so good, I even lick the spoon. It gets the thumbs up from my family, too.
As for the toppings, you may have noticed there's no meat here. We didn't even miss it, with the eggs and beans supplying the protein.
But I bet this salad would rock with some crumbled bacon. (Oh, behave!)
It's really fun (and oddly soothing) to prep each ingredient by slicing, chopping, rinsing, or whatever is required, and then lining up small bowls of each topping, just like a salad bar. I set this up for dinner the other night, and we really got a kick out of it.
I kept the leftovers in the bowls, covered them with plastic wrap and placed them all on a tray to refrigerate for the next day. Then, all we had to do was grab the tray and dig in for lunch. (See, I told you it's fun.)
One last note on easily peeling hard-boiled eggs: It's best to start with eggs at least a week old. The really fresh ones will be difficult to peel.
Tap the bottom of the hard-boiled egg on the counter and peel away a bit of the shell where it's cracked. Then, take a teaspoon and gently slide the back of it under the egg's shell, trying to get under the thin skin. Use the spoon to peel off the shell as you rotate the egg.
Go forth and make salad, my friends!
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C)
P.S. You may also enjoy this Shredded Buffalo Chicken Nacho Salad!
Southwest Salad with Catalina-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Catalina-Lime Dressing
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or 1 packet Stevia)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Salad
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 avocados (peeled and cut into chunks)
- 1 15-ounce can black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1 11-ounce can corn (drained & rinsed)
- 1 6-ounce can black olives (drained, rinsed & sliced)
- 16 grape tomatoes (rinsed & halved)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, cheddar or mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion (optional)
- 4 cups lettuce (romaine or spring mix, rinsed and dried)
- 1 lime (quartered, for serving)
Instructions
- To make the hard-boiled eggs, place your eggs in the bottom of a pot and cover them with cold water so that the water is at least an inch above the eggs. (Consider making extra eggs to have on hand for the next few days.) Heat, uncovered, over medium-high heat, until it comes to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon or fine-mesh strainer, remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of ice water. When they are cool enough to touch, peel them by tapping the bottom of each egg on the counter, peeling off some shell at the bottom, and sliding the back of a teaspoon underneath the shell/skin to remove the rest of the peel. Discard the shells and rinse the eggs to remove any shell pieces. Pat the eggs dry with a paper towel. Cut the eggs into fourths and set them aside.
- While your eggs are cooking, make the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients in a jar or plastic container with a lid and shake to mix. (Or, whisk everything in a small bowl.)
- Place all of your desired toppings into small bowls. To serve, place some lettuce in a plate or bowl, add your toppings, and spoon on the dressing. Serve with a lime wedge and squeeze on some lime juice.
- Store dressing and any leftover toppings covered in the refrigerator. (I like to place all of my bowls on a tray and refrigerate the tray.) Leftover, cooked eggs without their shells should be eaten within three days. (If you made extra eggs, keep them with shells on for up to a week, covered in the refrigerator.)
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron
I love a big salad like this...you don't feel hungry after because it is packed full of goodies! Looks delicious and that dressing sounds pretty amazing, too!
Mamma C
Thanks, Denise! It is nice and filling, and I don't feel guilty for eating a big bowl. 🙂
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
Hi Andrea, I made this salad (for you too!) today, so simple, so delicious. 2 cups seedless cubed cold watermelon, 1/2 whole red onion sliced super finely/separated, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 2 tablespoons honey, mix gently, serve and devour! Did you love it too???? Your Florida Bud, Cheryl
Mamma C
Delicious! Hey, that's one way for me to lose weight: You make the food, and we pretend that I ate it. 🙂
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
Yes, okay a deal! Your Florida Bud, Cheryl
Angie
I love a good salad too, and that salad is beautifu. Love all the colors !
Mamma C
Thanks, Angie! The flavors are so good too.
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser
Hi Andrea, love salads and eat one practically every day! No fooling I love them. I always make a homemade dressing too they're so much better that way. There are so many combinations to salads that is what I just love about them. Good job. Your Florida Bud, Cheryl.
Mamma C
I'd eat salad every day if someone else would make it for me...:) Thanks, Cheryl!
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I am so the same way! It takes a very special salad for me to have the desire to make it at home! I can see why you chose this one! Loving everything about it! And thanks for the tip on peeling hard-boiled eggs - I'd never heard of that strategy! Hope your summer is going well, Andrea!
Mamma C
Too funny. Lord knows, we probably spend enough time in the kitchen making everything else! It's great to hear from you, Annie. We've been getting our girl ready for college and enjoying any time we can get with her. 🙂
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I thought as much. 🙂 Such a special summer... Good luck with everything, my friend. I'll be thinking about you.
Mamma C
Thank you, Annie!