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!
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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
