Description

Frito Cowboy Cabbage is a vibrant and crunchy southwestern-inspired salad combining coleslaw mix with black beans, corn, fresh peppers, and a zesty chipotle-lime dressing. The addition of Chili Cheese Fritos adds a delicious cheesy crunch, making it a perfect side dish or light meal that’s fresh, flavorful, and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad

1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups (247.5 g) canned corn kernels, drained
1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
3 green onions, finely sliced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bag (9.75 ounces) Chili Cheese Fritos, reserving a handful for topping

Dressing

½ cup (115 g) sour cream
½ cup (116 g) mayonnaise
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons chipotle sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, just the sauce (not the peppers)

Instructions

Mix salad together: In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, rinsed and drained black beans, drained corn kernels, diced jalapeño, diced red bell pepper, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, taco seasoning, and ground cumin. Toss all the ingredients gently until they are evenly mixed and distributed throughout the salad.
Make dressing: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, and chipotle sauce until you achieve a smooth and creamy dressing. This should yield approximately 1 ¼ cups of chipotle dressing, providing a tangy and smoky flavor to the salad.
Combine dressing and salad: When ready to serve, pour the prepared chipotle dressing over the salad mixture in the large bowl. Add all but a handful of the Chili Cheese Fritos to the salad and gently stir to evenly coat all ingredients with the dressing while distributing the Fritos for added texture.
Top with Fritos and serve: Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining handful of Chili Cheese Fritos on top of the salad to provide an extra layer of crunchy texture. Serve the Frito Cowboy Cabbage immediately to enjoy the freshness and crunch of all components.

Notes

For extra heat, leave some seeds in the jalapeño or add extra chipotle sauce to the dressing.
This salad is best served fresh as the Fritos will lose their crunch if left too long.
You can substitute sour cream and mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for a lighter version.
To make this recipe vegan, replace sour cream and mayonnaise with vegan alternatives and ensure the Fritos are vegan-friendly.
Leftover salad can be stored without the Fritos in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: No-Cook
Cuisine: Southwestern American

Keywords: Frito Cowboy Cabbage, Southwestern salad, coleslaw salad, chipotle dressing, black bean salad, chili cheese Fritos salad, no-cook salad