Creamy, crunchy, and with mild Mexican flavors, this chopped kale salad with roasted butternut squash is a favorite for lunch, dinner, and potlucks alike.
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“I brought this to a football game watch over the weekend, and it VANISHED. When a salad disappears faster than the beer cheese dip you know it is a keeper!” -Erin, FoodieCrush reader
This Simple Chopped Salad Is a Serious Crunch Fest of Mexican Flavors
This salad is loaded with crunch thanks to sturdy kale in this salad. The crunch fest continues with pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) and broccoli slaw I find already shredded at my local Smith’s Marketplace, and spicy slices of crunchy radishes sweetened up with dried cranberries.
As in all of my favorite salads, the crunch is offset by the creamy and that’s where you’ll find a creamy spiced ranch dressing, tangy queso cheese and roasted butternut squash to do the trick.
You can serve this chopped salad as a side to your favorite Mexican dishes, like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas, or you can pile on the cilantro lime chicken to make this a main dish salad.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Lacinato kale is my personal favorite for this salad. AKA dinosaur or Tuscan kale, this variety is milder in flavor with tender leaves.
Remove the woody stems for optimal texture. The stems and veins are technically edible, but I only use them for recipes where I’ll be blitzing them into oblivion (like in kale pesto) or cooking for an extended period (like in tortellini soup).
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Roasted butternut squash — When squash is in season, I often roast some on the weekend to make recipes like this even quicker to assemble. I get my butternut squash prepped and diced from the same part of the produce aisle as my broccoli slaw.
- Kale — Tender lacinato kale is my top choice, but you can use any variety you like. Or sub in another leafy green like spinach, finely sliced cabbage, or even Romaine lettuce.
- Broccoli slaw — This comes pre-packaged in the refrigerated part of the produce section.
- Radishes — Add a subtly peppery crunch that I just adore.
- Toppings — A blend of dried cranberries, cilantro, toasted pepitas, and cotija cheese add texture and flavor to the salad.
- Poblano ranch dressing — My local Smith’s Marketplace sells a bottled poblano ranch that I love, but you can also make your own ranch dressing and make it Mexican-inspired by swapping out the fresh herbs for cilantro, adding a squeeze of lime juice, and blending in two roasted poblano peppers.
Heidi’s Tip: If you wind up with leftover kale, use it to make this kale salad with Parmesan and pine nuts, butternut squash kale salad, or Mediterranean kale salad.
How to Make a Mexican Chopped Salad (+ More Tips)
- Roast the butternut squash. I’ve provided detailed instructions in the recipe below, but I also have a full tutorial on how to roast butternut squash in case you need some extra pointers on preparing the squash.
- While the squash roasts, prep all the veggies. You can have the kale deveined and washed, the radishes sliced, and all the toppings measured out in the time it takes the squash to cook.
- Toss everything together. This salad is made with hardy ingredients, so you have the option to toss the ingredients together now and drizzle with the dressing up to 48 hours later.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo, and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Mexican Chopped Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces butternut squash , diced
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups lacinato kale , stems and veins removed and chopped
- 2 cups shredded broccoli slaw
- 6 radishes , very thinly sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds
- ⅓ cup Fire Roasted Poblano Ranch Dressing
- 3 ounces cotija cheese
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
Instructions
- Roast the squash. Preheat an oven to 475°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the butternut squash on it. Drizzle the squash with the olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and then roast for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Set aside to cool.
- Assemble the salad. Add the kale, broccoli slaw, radishes, cranberries and pumpkin seeds to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat, adding more to taste. Sprinkle with the cotija cheese and cilantro and serve.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Mexican Chopped Salad
More Mexican-Inspired Salads
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Beth
Awesome salad!!
vivian
Tis salad was the best ting, for me, in our delicious dinner. Made my own buttermilk ranch dressing an added some smoked paprika and chipotle chile powder. It was great. Thanks for a great recipe!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That sounds amazing! Thanks vivian
Chinese food
I TOTALLY feel ya on wanting comfort food in the winter! But spring is…springing? so I am all about this salad! And the dressing sounds SO GOOD! I want to pour it on all the things! Pinned!
Will @ Wigan Cleaners
Looks so colourful and nutritious. I added quinoa to the salad because I already had it cooked. Yum!
Erin@WellPlated
I brought this to a football game watch over the weekend, and it VANISHED. When a salad disappears faster than the beer cheese dip you know it is a keeper!
Savita
What a vibrant salad! Looks like you girls had great time! loving it!
Erin@WellPlated
I loved reliving our weekend! It was so wonderful and inspiring. And I can personally vouch for the salad. So good I ate it for breakfast! Excited to have the recipe for my very own now :-)
Laura | Tutti Dolci
I love a colorful salad loaded with texture. Need this in my life!
Maria
Take me back! It was such a fun weekend!
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Wow this looks yummy!
phyllis
Wow: wish I could have joined all of you!! Thank you for sharing.
Recipes Cabbage
Recipes will taste better if made with joy, thanks to the recipe today.