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Frito Cowboy Cabbage Salad Recipe

4.9 from 682 reviews

A vibrant and crunchy Frito Cowboy Cabbage Salad combining fresh vegetables, black beans, and corn with a zesty chipotle lime dressing, topped with spicy Chili Cheese Fritos for a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Ideal as a refreshing side or light meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad

  • 1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups canned corn kernels, drained
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 3 green onions, finely sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 bag (9.75 ounces) Chili Cheese Fritos, divided

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce from canned chipotles in adobo

Instructions

  1. Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the coleslaw mix, rinsed black beans, drained corn kernels, finely diced jalapeño pepper, red bell pepper, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, taco seasoning, and ground cumin. Gently toss everything together until well combined, ensuring even distribution of all ingredients.
  2. Prepare the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, and chipotle sauce until the dressing is smooth, creamy, and uniform in texture.
  3. Dress the Salad: Pour the prepared chipotle dressing over the vegetable mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly to coat all the salad ingredients evenly with the flavorful dressing.
  4. Add Fritos: Fold in all but a small portion of the Chili Cheese Fritos into the salad. This ensures a nice crunch distributed throughout the salad. Reserve a handful of Fritos for garnish just before serving.
  5. Serve Fresh: Immediately before serving, sprinkle the reserved Fritos on top of the salad to maintain their crisp texture. Serve right away for the best freshness and crunch.

Notes

  • For extra heat, leave some seeds in the jalapeño or add more chipotle sauce to the dressing.
  • To keep the Fritos crunchy longer, add them just before serving.
  • This salad can be made ahead but add the Fritos fresh to maintain texture.
  • Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor in the dressing.

Keywords: Frito salad, cowboy cabbage salad, chipotle lime dressing, black bean salad, vegetarian salad, crunchy salad, summer salad