Houston’s Southwest Caesar Salad – CopyKat Recipes

March 3, 2025

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The primary time I attempted Houston’s Southwest Caesar Salad, I knew this wasn’t your common restaurant facet dish. The brilliant, spicy dressing mixed with the satisfying crunch of tortilla strips and the delicate sweetness of roasted corn created an explosion of taste that instantly made me wish to recreate it at residence. After a number of check batches (and pleased taste-testers!), I’m excited to share this copycat recipe that brings the restaurant expertise straight to your eating desk.

Copycat Houston's southwest caesar salad in two bowls.

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What makes a Southwest Caesar Salad so good?

Caesar Salads don’t need to be stodgy and boring. This Southwest Caesar Salad is stuffed with taste due to the roasted corn, black beans, and cojita cheese. However the selfmade Spicy Caesar Dressing takes this salad from odd to extraordinary.

The reimagined conventional Caesar dressing incorporates recent citrus juice and chili paste for a vivid and spicy taste that goes nice with the Southwest-inspired elements!

Why you’ll love this Southwest Caesar Salad recipe

Making salads at house is nice as a result of it’s easy, and there are such a lot of methods to customise them to fit your tastes. Do you want slightly extra protein, or perhaps you wish to flip the salad right into a fundamental course? Then add a couple of items of grilled or sauteed hen on prime and serve it as a Southwest Caesar Salad with hen. It is going to fulfill the heartiest appetites, and you’ll nonetheless eat wholesome.

Southwest Caesar Salad elements

For the Spicy Caesar Salad Dressing:

Egg yolk – Creates the wealthy, creamy base for the dressing and helps emulsify the oils
Garlic – Provides important pungent taste that defines a Caesar dressing
Dijon mustard – Works as an emulsifier and provides tangy depth
Anchovy fillets – Offers the umami basis that offers Caesar dressing its distinctive savory high quality
Black pepper – Provides delicate warmth and complexity
Salt – Enhances all of the flavors within the dressing
Floor coriander – Introduces a delicate citrusy, floral observe that enhances the Southwest theme
Floor cumin – Provides earthy, heat taste attribute of Southwest delicacies
Worcestershire sauce – Contributes depth with its fermented umami qualities
Chilly water – Helps create the correct consistency and aids emulsification
Further-virgin olive oil – Offers fruity notes and richness
Canola oil – Creates a milder base that lets different flavors shine
Sambal chili paste – Provides the signature spicy kick that makes this dressing particular
Recent lemon juice – Brightens the dressing with acidity and recent citrus notes
Recent lime juice – Provides a particular tang that enhances the Southwest profile
Parmesan cheese – Contributes saltiness and umami whereas thickening the dressing

Sambal is an Indonesian and Malaysian chili paste that provides taste and gentle warmth. Yow will discover it on-line, however you possibly can substitute the extra frequent Thai chili paste for those who can’t get it at your native grocery store.

Recent citrus juice will actually make this dressing shine, however you can too use bottled juice for those who want.

For the salad, you’ll want:

Romaine lettuce – Offers the crisp, crunchy basis for the salad
Roasted corn kernels – Provides candy, smoky taste and nice textural distinction
Black beans – Contributes earthy taste, protein, and fiber
Cotija cheese – Delivers a salty, crumbly texture much like feta however with genuine Mexican aptitude
Pumpkin seeds – Provides nutty taste and satisfying crunch
Tortilla strips – Create the important crispy aspect that finishes the salad

If you wish to take the roasted corn to a brand new degree of yum, attempt making Chili’s Roasted Road Corn! Multicolored tortilla strips look cool however are tougher to seek out than natural-colored strips. Each varieties style the identical, so go for those you like.

Copycat Houston's southwest caesar salad ingredients on a tray.

make a Southwest Caesar Salad

To arrange the Spicy Caesar Salad Dressing:

Within the bowl of a meals processor, pulse collectively the egg yolk, garlic, Dijon mustard, anchovy fillets, freshly floor black pepper, salt, floor coriander, floor cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and chilly water.
Stir collectively the extra-virgin olive oil and the canola oil in a mixing bowl with a spout.
With the meals processor operating, slowly drizzle within the oil. The dressing will begin to thicken. Flip off the meals processor.
Add the samba, recent citrus juices, and parmesan cheese. Mix till clean.
Pour the dressing right into a container with a lid and place it within the fridge till wanted.

To make this Southwest Caesar Salad recipe:

Lower or tear the romaine lettuce into bite-sized items.
Rinse the lettuce and spin it dry. Place the lettuce in a big mixing bowl.
Add a couple of tablespoons of the Spicy Caesar Salad Dressing to the bowl and toss to coat the lettuce within the dressing.
Add the black beans and roasted corn kernels and toss once more. Add extra dressing if wanted.
Plate the salad and prime it with some crumbled cojita cheese and pumpkin seeds. Garnish with tortilla chips.

What to serve it with

In case you are making this Southwest Caesar Salad recipe for a fundamental course, attempt including a couple of sides and toppings to make it extra filling. Listed here are a couple of recommendations:

Parmesean Garlic Bread. Heat, tacky, and loaded with garlic, Parmesean Garlic Bread is a superb facet. This easy-to-make recipe additionally goes with pasta, mussels, soup, and extra!

Cracker Barrel Grilled Rooster Tenders. Flip this salad into Southwest Caesar Salad with Rooster with this easy but scrumptious recipe for Grilled Rooster Tenders. These tenders are juicy with a contact of acidity, making them an ideal add-on.

Sopapillas. Why not prime off your meal with a few candy Sopapillas? These Mexican-style doughnuts are nice with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a light-weight drizzle of honey.

Copycat Houston's southwest caesar salad in two bowls and two forks on cloth napkins.

Houston’s Southwest Caesar Salad – CopyKat Recipes

retailer the leftovers

For the very best texture and style, prep the salad elements proper earlier than utilizing them. The salad dressing may be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge.

Attempt to end any dressed salads, however you possibly can retailer {a partially} eaten salad within the fridge.

How lengthy will the salad and dressing final?

Correctly saved, the dressing ought to keep recent for about three days. Leftover dressed salad needs to be eaten inside a couple of hours earlier than it turns into soggy.

Copycat Houston's southwest caesar salad in bowls and forks next to them.

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