Mexican Salad with Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
This Mexican salad has black beans, yellow hominy, romaine lettuce, red bell peppers, poblano pepper, red onion and cilantro nestled in a sweet, savory and smoky chipotle honey vinaigrette. It’s a great make-ahead salad perfect for a Mexican fiesta, Cinco de Mayo or an easy weeknight dinner.
Why this recipe works
- Versatile – the substitutions for this Mexican salad are endless; see Substitutions and Variations below
- The quick 15-minute marinade allows the salad ingredients to absorb the fresh lime juice and seasonings, elevating the flavor of the hominy and beans
- No cooking required
- Quick and easy – combine the ingredients, whip up the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette and it’s done!
If you’re looking for more Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes, you might like Mexican Street Corn Casserole, Creamy Mexican Chicken, Charro Beans and Spanish Rice, or Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.
Salad Ingredients
This Mexican bean salad comes together in minutes and uses simple ingredients.
- Crisp romaine lettuce
- Canned, drained yellow hominy
- Canned, drained black beans
- Red bell pepper
- Poblano pepper
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Dried oregano
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Cilantro
- Garlic powder
- Prepared white rice (optional)
- Cojita crumbled cheese or shredded Manchego as garnish
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette Ingredients
The zesty and smoky chipotle-honey vinaigrette is made in the food processor and only takes a few minutes to prepare. The recipe yields about a cup of chipotle honey salad dressing. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Red wine vinegar
- Neutral oil – canola or vegetable; not avocado, coconut or olive oil
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce– usually on the international or ethnic aisle in the grocery store. The peppers are typically in a small jar that contains chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce.
- Honey
- Dried oregano
- Ground cumin
- Cilantro
- Salt and black pepper
The vinaigrette can be made as mild or bold as you prefer and can be used as a marinade for chicken fajitas, beef fajitas or as a sauce for fish.
How to make it
Hominy and black bean salad is super quick to make and so is the vinaigrette. Make the vinaigrette first, then assemble the salad. See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and step-by-step instructions
- Make the Chipotle honey vinaigrette in the food processor; transfer to a jar with a lid and refrigerate while assembling the salad
- Clean and cut romaine lettuce; drain and rinse hominy and black beans; pat dry with a paper towel and set aside
- Dice red bell pepper, poblano pepper, and red onion
- In a large mixing bowl, add hominy, black beans, diced vegetables
- In a small measuring cup, combine vegetable oil, fresh lime juice, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt; drizzle this mixture over the hominy and bean mixture and stir until well coated; cover and refrigerate for 15-minutes
- When ready to serve, add the chopped romaine lettuce and chopped cilantro; drizzle the chipotle honey vinaigrette over the mixture and toss well; garnish with crumbled Cojita cheese, shredded Manchego cheese, sliced avocado, guacamole or tortilla chips
Recipe tips
- When making the chipotle salad dressing, start with just one chipotle pepper. Pulse the ingredients, then taste. If you want a deeper smoky flavor, add another pepper.
- For best results, allow the hominy/black bean mixture to rest in the fridge for about 15-minutes in the seasoned lime/oil marinade to allow the flavors and blend
- If you’re taking this to a pot-luck or picnic, add the romaine lettuce and vinaigrette last or when you get to the venue and right before serving
- Add prepared rice (optional)
Substitutions
If you’re not a fan of some of the ingredients in this recipe, by all means feel free to substitute with what you like! Here are some suggestions:
- Use halved cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes or pimentos instead of red bell pepper
- Use a green bell pepper or an Anaheim pepper instead of a poblano
- Not a fan of hominy? Substitute with corn
- Don’t care for black beans? Try kidney beans, pinto beans or garbanzo beans
Variations
Feel free to add whatever you like to your Mexican hominy salad!
- Add cooked, shredded chicken, seasoned ground beef or salmon
- Use the salad as a base for fish tacos
- Add prepared rice or fried tortilla strips to add texture
Storage
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. When ready to serve, allow to rest at room temperature, toss and add the vinaigrette. Store leftover vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge for up to 7 days; shake well before using
Mexican salad is a healthy and refreshing dish that can be served as an appetizer or entree.
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment. I love to hear from you!
Mexican Salad
Equipment
- Food processor or blender for vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 2- 15.5 ounce cans yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1- 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- ¾ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced poblano pepper
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- crumbled Cojita or shredded Manchego cheese (optional as garnish)
Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (⅜ of a cup or 3 ounces)
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1- 7.5 ounce can smoked chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette
- Add ingredients and only one chipotle pepper to the food processor; pulse till smooth; taste. If you want it more smoky add the other chipotle pepper and pulse again. Set aside.6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (⅜ of a cup or 3 ounces), 1 cup neutral oil, 3 tablespoons honey, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Assemble the Salad
- Drain hominy and black beans; rinse and pat dry with paper towel; transfer to a large bowl. Add chopped peppers, cilantro and onion; set aside2- 15.5 ounce cans yellow hominy, drained and rinsed, 1- 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, ¾ cup diced red bell pepper, ½ cup diced poblano pepper, ¼ cup diced red onion, ½ cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
- In a small measuring cup, add the following ingredients. Combine well and drizzle over the hominy/bean mixture; toss until well coated; cover with plastic and refrigerate for 15-minutes.2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable or canola), 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- When ready to serve, add chopped romaine and cilantro to the bean mixture, drizzle a little of the vinaigrette over the salad; combine well; garnish with chopped cilantro, avocado or guacamole, crumbled Cotija cheese or shredded Manchego cheese3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
