I love a salad! Like, I could eat one every single day and probably more than once per day. They’re so amazing and you can make any type of salad you want! This Southwest Steak Salad was bright, veggie packed, and incredibly satisfying! The flavor on the steak? It was ridiculously good, and the marinade was SO simple! The roasted corn and those fresh peppers really gave that Southwest vibe, with the chipotle lime dressing taking everything to the next level! My husband used to think salads were boring and I’ve totally converted him! They’re now one of our favorite things to eat around here!

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So, when did people start putting steak on salads?

Around the early 1900’s, Americans started making green salads more of a full meal, calling them “dinner salads” and serving them up as a main course! Over time, green salads became more and more complex, often adding shrimp, chicken, and later on – steak! By the 1950’s, entree salads became normal pretty much all around the country, popping up in restaurants, diners, and all over the tables of home cooks! And by the late 1980’s “the steak salad” was a staple across steakhouses!

When did Southwest flavors start to pop off?

Southwest cuisine came about thanks to influence from Native people, Mexican immigrants, and Spanish colonizers! The Southwest includes New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, the southern parts of Nevada and Utah, and sometimes depending on the context, can include SoCal and Texas!

Between the 1970’s-1990’s this flavor profile really started to boom across the United States, showcasing beans, corn, chiles, squash, and a mash up of Mexican and Spanish techniques!

What ingredients do I need to make this?

For the steak marinade:

Shaved Beef Steak
Olive Oil
Salt
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Paprika

For the chipotle lime dressing:

Sour Cream
Mayo
Lime
Honey
Garlic
Water
Salt
Chipotle Seasoning
Black Pepper

For the roasted corn:

Corn
Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

For the Southwest Steak Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
Red Bell Pepper
Black Beans
Avocado
Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Wonton Strips
Cilantro

What equipment do I need?

How do I make it?

To get started on this recipe, the first thing you’ll want to do is make your steak marinade, so that way the steak can marinate while you make the rest of the salad!

To make the steak marinade:

Add all ingredients for the marinade besides the steak to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Ingredients for steak marinade in a mixing bowl before being whisked

Use your hands to toss the shaved beef steak in the marinade and once coated, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use! Easy peasy and ridiculously flavorful!

Shaved beef steak that's been tossed in a marinade

Now let’s make our dressing so that can sit and chill while we prepare the rest of the salad!

To make the chipotle lime dressing:

To make the dressing, first juice the lime, then mince the garlic. Add all dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use!

To prepare the roasted corn:

You can use fresh corn for this and roast it in the oven, or you can buy frozen corn that is already roasted, which is the method I used. To prepare the frozen roasted corn, heat oil in a small skillet on medium high and cook the corn for several minutes, stirring occasionally and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat when slightly charred and tender. Set aside until ready to use.

At this point, let’s work on prepping the rest of our ingredients and cooking the steak!

To make the Southwest Steak Salad:

Wash the veggies and start prepping them! Thinly slice the red pepper, chop the cilantro, and cube the avocado. Wash and dry the romaine lettuce, then chop it up. Drain and rinse the black beans. Now let’s cook the steak!

In a large skillet on high heat, add the steak in a single layer and cook for about a minute, flipping with a tong and cooking just a touch more.

Shaved beef steak that's been seared in a skillet for southwest salad

Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel lined plate until ready to assemble the salad.

Pro Tip: Getting this hard sear on the steak cooks it so that it’s safe to eat, crispy, but still extremely juicy!

Now, let’s assemble our salad and serve!

Avocado, steak, lettuce, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro, wonton strips, pepper jack cheese, roasted corn, and chipotle lime dressing spread out on a table for southwest steak salad

Add the romaine lettuce to bowls and add all of the ingredients for the Southwest steak salad in sections or mix it up if you want! Top with cubed avocado, black beans, red pepper, chopped cilantro, warm steak, roasted corn, wonton strips, and shredded pepper jack cheese. Drizzle the chilled chipotle lime dressing over everything and enjoy!

Southwest steak salad in a bowl with a chipotle lime dressing drizzled over the top

Tips:

If you don’t have shaved beef steak, you could always cut some steak very, very thin. Flank steak would work for this, skirt steak, sirloin – whatever you’ve got! I like to buy the shaved beef steak because it’s easy and ready to go!
Iceberg lettuce would work for this or spring mix, whatever you feel like using!
The dressing did have some heat to it but paired with all of the other ingredients in the salad, it was cooled and mild enough that the kids still loved it!
The nice part about assembling the salads individually is that any leftovers can be refrigerated and kept in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Just dress the salad as you want to eat it! Perfect for meal prep!
We had this as a main course, but it could totally be a side dish as well!

Do you love love love a salad too? Check these out!

Loving these Southwest flavors?

Southwest Steak Salad

The Wholesome Spoon

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Southwest, Tex-Mex

Servings

Calories 485 kcal

Equipment