Well, I guess I’m on a lunch prep salad in a jar kick because this week we’ve been eating this Southwest salad after eating the Greek salad jars last week and I am loving the convenience of having an all-in-one ready to go lunch when I wander into the kitchen, famished, midday.
As a reminder, you can adjust any salad to your liking and have success if you follow these layering steps:
Steps to Make Salad in a Jar
- Pour your salad dressing in the bottom of the jar.
- Add hearty beans, grains, or pasta.
- Add your chopped vegetables, hearty ones like cucumber or carrots.
- Add a layer of crumbled cheese if you so desire.
- Add in your chopped chicken.
- Add any softer vegetables or fruits, like avocados or tomatoes.
- Add any nuts or seeds.
- Fill the rest of the jar with salad greens (or keep these separate if you prefer).
- Screw the lid on the jar and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Homemade dressings are great, but again I opted for a store bought to save time and dishes with the other prep work I was already doing. I opted for Primal Kitchen’s Cilantro Lime, but any southwestern ranch type dressing would be great, as would salsa! You want a dressing on this one that’s going to give it a nice pop of flavor.
Also, I opted for pint jars again and the ingredients fit beautifully into it, minus the lettuce. I like to keep my lettuce separate and add some to the bowl before I pour on the jar contents.
This would be an easy combination to customize. Included in this Southwest salad in a jar recipe are: black beans, corn, cucumber, purple cabbage, grape tomatoes, green onion, and cooked chicken. It makes for a light lunch, clocking in at just shy of 400 calories, but boasting 32g of protein. Some delicious additions or substitutions would be: quinoa, diced jalapenos, red bell peppers, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or avocado (avocado getting soft isn’t my jam, so I left it out, but would totally love to add it separately at the time of eating).
Other than that, you know drill: prep, layer, store in the fridge, then dump into a bowl to enjoy when lunch time hits! I like to use my favorite dinner bowls, as they are the perfect portion size for many of my meals. The macros are broken down below in the recipe!
Southwest Salad in a Jar Recipe
Yield: 5 jars 1x
Description
Prep ahead and enjoy a tasty, crisp, hearty Southwest salad for lunch all week long! Layered in a way to prevent a soggy salad; enjoy!
2 Tbsp Cilantro Lime dressing
1/4 c black beans
1/4 c corn
1 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/4 c chopped purple cabbage
1/4 c diced cucumber
1/4 c quartered grape tomatoes
1/2 c chopped cooked chicken
1 c chopped romaine lettuce
Instructions
Wash and chop your ingredients, then layer into the jar in the order listed above: dressing, black beans, corn, green onions, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, chicken, then lettuce.*
Notes
*If you are using smaller jars, feel free to keep the lettuce separate. When ready to eat, add a handful of lettuce to a bowl, then dump the jar on top of it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 jar
- Calories: 383
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 34.5
- Fiber: 7.5
- Protein: 32
