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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
Dole stopped making the Chopped BBQ Ranch salad mix and I really miss this salad. It was so easy to throw together on a weeknight with leftover chicken. Does anyone have a good dupe? Or could Lindsey try to make a copycat? Just mixing ranch and BBQ sauce doesn’t cut it.
How can you be a taco lover and not use up red cabbage? LOL!! I always put red cabbage in my tacos!
I am marrying this salad tomorrow, I love it so much. And I would love more “cheater salad” recipes from you, using bagged salad mixes!
This salad looks amazing! The Dole mix (or anything similar) is sadly not available anywhere near me, but I think I can recreate most of it. Any ideas for recreating the BBQ Ranch dressing?
I’m guessing the dressing is a combination of ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and possibly a splash of vinegar. But if I were to make my own, I’d simply combine ranch and BBQ sauce!
Made this today & is very good. Love the flavors of the salad… bbq ranch dressing (Just the right amount of bbq flavor w/o being over whelming, and the addition of the black beans & avocado take it to the next level. This is a light, refreshing summer salad… sooo good! Thank you Lindsay!
Glad you enjoyed this, Tricia!
Do you have a recipe yet for the BBQ Ranch Dressing that you put on the cheaters salad?
To Julie Train. I have seen where some people have done the below:
1- mixed Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Salad Dressing w/favorite bottled Honey BBQ Sauce
2- use Regular Ranch Dressing & mix 1-2 Tbsps of bottled Honey BBQ Sauce
I think Frenches makes a Cattleman’s Honey BBQ Sauce/Dressing. I’m not for sure because I just used the one in the pkg. as it was just the right amount of flavor w/o being too much. I will DEFINITELY be making this again but if making for a crowd & need to make more dressing I probably will use the Ranch Dressing & Add Smoked Paprika to taste.
Nope, no recipe for that one. We just used what came in the bagged salad. 🙂
Its looking Fabulous. The clicked pictures are too awesome. Thank you for this valuable recipe.
nice and informative blog.
This is incredible. I literally made it with one hand while holding my baby to try to get him to stop crying. After a long day, with husband out of town, this allowed me to have a healthy and delicious dinner. No chicken in the house so it’s vegetarian tonight. Thank you!
How long are you cooking the chicken/salsa in the Instant pot? And on what setting?
Hi Lindsay is your nutrition facts for one serving or the whole recipe?
One serving!
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
Black beans and avocado in salad looks better. Green onion full of sweetness. All of protein togather.
There are some amazing posts on here! Going to try out the cashew coffee in the next few days! I hope you dont mind me posting the following comment below.
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Just want to say this is SO helpful! I’m back in school and trying to pack cold, nutritious lunches and this is exactly what I need!
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! 🙂
Sounds delicious! How much chicken did you use when calculating the nutritional information?
We used 8 ounces!
Great: thanks!
The Dole poppyseed salad is amazing with feta, avocado, extra craisins and chicken added in!
Made this tonight and it is phenomenal! Thank you!
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!
Yes! This is definitely up my alley. Actually…I cheat a lot! Thanks, Lindsay!
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 🙂
this looks simple and delicious. I’m addicted to trader joes cilantro dressing and I think it would be a great substitution on this.
ashwagandha…. gesundheit???
This looks delicious and healthy!
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