A refreshing mix of veggies, dressed in a simple cilantro lime vinaigrette. The salad is topped with the most simple baked chicken meatballs resulting in a light but flavorful salad!
This will never be a “health” blog, because those are not the types of recipes that I develop. With that said, I can appreciate everyone wanting lighter recipes as we begin a new year, fresh off of eating our body wright in holiday cookies. Let me introduce you to a salad I’ll actually eat: Mexican Chopped Salad with Taco Spiced Meatballs.
What you need to make Taco Chopped Salad:
- taco spiced meatballs (recipe below)
- lettuce
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- black beans
- corn
- cilantro
- avocado
- tortilla strips (optional but very much encouraged)
- lime
- olive oil
I wanted to kick off 2020 with a bang! This salad has all your favorites from a classic Mexican chopped salad! Lettuce, tomato, beans, corn, all the good stuff. But it’s 2020 right? So in the words of my hero, The Barefoot Contessa, “let’s turn the volume way up!”. This salad has a twist with addition of taco spiced chicken meatballs. The meatball recipe is adapted from Pinch of Yum’s recipe for her baked chicken meatballs so you know its going to be good! This recipe serves 2 (for dinner sized salads) but makes plenty of meatballs so it’s perfect for that January meal prep!
What to do with leftover Taco Spiced Meatballs:
- taco bowls with rice, beans, veggies and guacamole
- tacos with pico de gallo
- chop up and add into a quesadilla
- mix into a southwest pasta
- add to tortilla soup
You can also bake half the meatballs without taco seasoning for plain chicken meatballs! Just scoop out half of the meatballs, then add half the amount of taco seasoning to remaining chicken mixture before scooping remaining meatballs.
Watch the simple step-by-step for Taco Chopped Salad below!
Taco Chopped Salad with Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground Chicken
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 3-4 tablespoons Taco Seasoning add more or less depending on desired spice level
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs or italian style breadcrumbs
- Olive Oil Spray for baking the meatballs
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup Lime Juice
- 1 teaspoon Lime Zest
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro chopped
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
For the Salad
- 6 cups Romain Lettuce chopped
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 cup Cucumber medium diced
- 1 15oz can Black Beans drained & rinsed
- 1 15oz can Corn drained & rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro chopped
- 1 Avocado sliced
- Tortilla Strips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- To make the meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl, making sure not to overmix.
- Scoop the meatball mixture into 1 ½ tablespoons sized balls & place them on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 25-30 minutes, until browned on the outside & fully cooked on the inside.
- To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients & mix well until fully combined, set aside.
- To assemble the salad: combine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, beans, corn & cilantro in a bowl & top with enough dressing to moisten the salad.
- Top the salad with avocado, tortilla strips, meatballs & any additional dressing you’d like.
Who doesn’t love spicing up a weeknight meal with some delicious chicken meatballs and salad! As someone who consumes a little too much red meat, this is a perfect alternative!!
I make some version of meatballs nearly every week, and I cannot believe I never thought to serve them in a salad 🤯 brilliant! Adding the lime zest to the dressing packs such a punch to this fun salad.
Couldn’t agree more on the lime zest! So glad you love this salad!