Featured comment
I made this and it was so fast and delicious! My husband loved it too which is a big bonus. New go to easy weekday recipe. THANK YOU
Brooke
And then comes the part where I post a salad recipe using a bagged salad mix. Modern times have given us modern salad mixes, and I could not be more happy about it.
Friends, meet my Cheater’s Power Salad.
First, let me give you the perks of dis lil power salad.
- Kale.
- Cilantro.
- Green onion.
- Cabbage.
- Shredded chicken (or your choice of protein).
- Black beans.
- Avocado.
- Tortilla strips and crispy onions.
- BBQ ranch dressing.
UM, YAH. Are you all over this or what? Because I AM ALL OVER THIS.
I’ve been having this salad for lunch, like, all of the days of the week. I tell everyone about it. I love talking to people about what they eat in real life, and spoiler: 99% of the time, what people tell me they eat in real life is so simple – grilled chicken, pastas, five ingredient recipes, crockpot soups, tacos and burritos and fried eggs and roasted veggies – that it always brings me back down from the world of glamourous-nutso-instagrammers who are trying to tell us that cordyceps are (or is? is it plural?) normal, and doesn’t everyone have that in their pantry? fridge? what do you even keep cordyceps in? don’t even get me started on ashwagandha.
You know I am passionate about good food, but I am BIG TIME PASSIONATE about good food that people (including myself) will actually make and eat.
So hi, Cheater’s Power Salad! Hello. Get right up in there.
Okay. Now that we’ve established the deliciousness of this crunchy, nutritious, totally versatile power salad, let me give you the other perks.
- Affordable.
- Easy to shop for.
- Easy to make throughout the week.
- Zero prep time. Or maybe, like, five minutes. YOU CAN DO THIS.
- No leftover salad ingredients hanging out in your fridge for six months afterwards. I’m looking at you, half-used head of red cabbage.
THANK YOU SALAD MIX. What is my life.
But salad mix has a few buddies that are very necessary for taking this salad to the blog-worthy level.
Just let a simple can of black beans, and a fresh, buttery avocado do their thing, okay? It’s not a huge party. We don’t have to get complicated here.
And like that, a star is born.
A kale, cabbage, cilantro, green onion, black bean, avocado, chicken if you want (or maybe some quinoa), tortilla strip, crispy onion, BBQ ranch, full-blown STAR. God bless the simple power lunches of this world.
Cheater’s Power Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Description
Cheater’s Power Salad – kale, cabbage, avocado, green onion, cilantro, black beans, crispy onions, tortilla strips, chicken, and BBQ ranch dressing, made from a salad mix! I KNOW. perfect for easy lunches!
Ingredients
- 1 bag southwestern salad mix – Dole Chopped BBQ Ranch Salad Kit is THE BEST. Hands down.
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado, cubed
- shredded chicken, quinoa, or other protein of choice
Instructions
- Cook the chicken (or other protein). I like shredded chicken, so I usually opt for cooking one pound of chicken breasts in the Instant Pot (15 minutes) or slow cooker (3-4 hours) with a jar of salsa or some taco seasoning.
- Toss your salad ingredients together. YUM YUM YUM.
Notes
The salad mix I use has lots of cabbage, carrots, kale, cilantro, green onions, as well as crispy onions, tortilla strips, and BBQ Ranch dressing. A good salad mix (like this one) is very important for making this cheater’s salad worth your while. This is not an iceberg lettuce situation. It is fresh, nutritious veggies pre-chopped with some yummy extras to boot. Well done, Dole.
Chicken can be hot or cold – I’ve enjoyed it both ways in this salad! You can easily sub a different protein if you’re not into chicken. Nuts, sofritas tofu, or even just some cooked quinoa would be equally as delicious.
I don’t recommend making this all at once for one person – I just cook all of the chicken, keep it in the fridge, and then assemble salads throughout the week as I’m ready to eat them.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: bagged salad recipe, bbq ranch salad, easy salad recipe
This sounds like a true protein bomb. I would definitely try this, just with quorn instead of chicken 😊
YUM! This looks and appearance great!!I like this Salad,thank you!
oh my gosh. ashwagandha. I admit insta got me on that one…until I saw the price 0_0
These Dole Salad mixes though?! giiirl I have literally tried them all and am impressed with EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. that poppyseed dressing is my favorite tho… <3
I totally embrace the bagged salad…especially when you give it your own pizazz.
You’ve exposed my dinner party secret! Usually I own up to the prepackaged foods (ain’t no shame in that game) but one time I might have forgotten to mention that bagged salads came to the rescue when another dish failed me. If you add the little extras who the heck could guess?!
Haha, funniest title ever. My mom always nags me when I buy bagged salad. But I love the ease of it.
I have to ask — where are those cute bowl/plates from?!!
Bagged salad and I are best friends. I haven’t tried all the Dole bagged yet, but on my bucket list!
Trader Joe’s also sells a delicious chopped southwestern salad kit!!
Bagged salads and I are having a moment right now, and this is one of my favs. The Asian style (ginger sesame?) is probably my favorite with some marinated tofu and/or edamame added.
I recreated my own version of this tonight! Really nice to have an easy dinner, we just got a puppy and it’s been tiring! I used a salad mix, added the extras, and to be even lazier bbq rotisserie chicken and it was excellent. Thanks for making every day recipes that fit real life!
Oh my god! This salad looks yummy! I am gonna try this at home. Thanks for sharing!
Haha omg the part about the cordycyps and ashwaghanda-seriously tho😂 Love this salad mix, the BBQ ranch dressing is 👌🏼😍!
It seems to be very tasty and healthy. thanks for sharing.
I use ashwaghanda daily because it helps my chronic insomnia. I literally didnt sleep for more than 2-3 hours a night for almost 4 months until I started using it. There are reasons people need those kinds of things sometimes.
This looks delicious and healthy!
http://beautifullyme.in/
ashwagandha…. gesundheit???
this looks simple and delicious. I’m addicted to trader joes cilantro dressing and I think it would be a great substitution on this.
This was perfect for a week night meal! Added some grilled corn and used rotisserie chicken and it was delicious! Thank you for all the great recipes 🙂
Yes! This is definitely up my alley. Actually…I cheat a lot! Thanks, Lindsay!
I saw this post a little before I went to the store yesterday and grabbed a bag on a whim because it was in my head (my store doesn’t have Dole salads, it was another brand). Made it today for lunch… added a couple Applegate frozen chicken strips (my go-to for quick protein additions to salads!) and some sharp cheddar. I am IN LOVE. Why have I never thought to buy the bbq ranch version before?! It totally hit the spot!
Made this tonight and it is phenomenal! Thank you!
The Dole poppyseed salad is amazing with feta, avocado, extra craisins and chicken added in!
Sounds delicious! How much chicken did you use when calculating the nutritional information?
We used 8 ounces!
Great: thanks!
Yes! I seriously love these salads. My husband teases me because it’s my go-to side when I’m making dinner for friends or the family. They’re honestly so good. I love the sunflower crunch (I think that’s what it’s called) and the bacon and blue!
The Sunflower Crunch is my favorite too! 🙂