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    Home » Salads » Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas

    Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas

    May 16, 2019 · by Valentina · 33 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas has a Honey-Chipotle Dressing and it's a delicious, hearty festival of fresh Mexican flavors. It's perfect for a summer picnic, on a buffet table, or alongside tacos or burritos.Top view of Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas in a wooden bowl

    This Mexican salad with pepitas is beautiful, festive and full of sweet and spicy flavors and soft and crunchy textures. It's amazing as a main course salad and an awesome side, too.

    With food, little details can make a big difference, and it's often a matter of preference.

    Chopping salad ingredients, all approximately the same size, makes for a very different salad. A little bit of every single ingredient on your fork at once -- that's the beauty of it.Rows of jicima, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, manchego cheese and roasted pobalnos for Mexican chopped salad with pepitas

    How to Make it

    This salad has three components: Spiced Pepitas, Honey-Chipotle Dressing and the produce with cheese.

    The Spiced Pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Mix the pepitas with honey, a little oil and spices, and then roast for just a few minutes.
    The Honey-Chipotle Dressing. Blend the lime juice, chipotles in adobo sauce, honey, spices and oil together.
    The produce and cheese. Chop all of the produce, grate the cheese, and toss everything together with the pepitas and dressing.

    (More detailed instructions are below.)

    Raw spiced pepitas on a foil-lined baking sheet

    Can you make Chopped Mexican Salad ahead?

    Yes! Well, most of it.

    • I make the pepitas a day or two ahead of time. They should be stored in a tightly sealed container, at room temperature.
    • I make the dressing up to a week in advance. It should be stored in a tightly sealed jar, at room temperature or refrigerated. (If it's refrigerated, take it out a couple hours ahead of time.)
    • Except for the avocados, I chop all of the produce the day before. It should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
    • About 15 minutes before you'd like to serve the salad, cut the avocados and mix everything together.

    Roasted and Spiced pepitas on a foil-lined baking sheet

    Recipe Tips

    • The dressing recipe may make a bit more than you'll need -- dress the salad to your taste.
    • My favorite way to make salad dressing is in a jar. Simply add all of the ingredients at once, put the lid on, and shake!
    • The pepitas are great mixed in, but I also save a small handful to sprinkle on top. They're nice just to have on hand, too -- they make a delicious snack!

    Rows of avocado, red onion, manchego cheese and roasted pobalnos for Mexican chopped salad with pepitas

    This salad is so good as a part of a buffet of Latin flavors. Here are a few other recipes that would be great with it:

    • Marinated Achiote Chicken
    • Spiced Fish Tacos
    • Tomatillo Shrimp Ceviche
    • Puerco Con Salsa Verde

    Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas in a wooden bowl

    This is one of those salads you'll gobble up like it's your favorite flavor of ice cream. Know what I mean?

    Enjoy every last bite of this scrumptious Mexican salad with Pepitas!

    Rows of avocado, red onion, manchego cheese and roasted pobalnos for Mexican chopped salad with pepitas

    Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas and Honey-Chipotle Dressing

    Valentina K. Wein
    Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas & Honey-Chipotle Dressing is a delicious, hearty main course salad, that is truly a festival of fresh Mexican flavors!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 40 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6
    Calories 356 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the spiced pepitas:

    • ½ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), hulled
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 ½ teaspoons honey
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 to 2 pinches cayenne
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    For the dressing:

    • ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
    • 2 teaspoons chipotles in adobo sauce, finely minced
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

    For the salad (everything "chopped," should be cut into about ¼ to ½-inch dice):

    • 4 cups packed arugula or mixed baby greens (or a combination of both), roughly chopped
    • ½ cup cilantro, washed and dried, finely chopped
    • 1 ½ cups jicama, chopped
    • 1 ½ cups tomato, seeds removed, chopped
    • 1 ½ cups avocado, chopped
    • 1 cup roasted poblano peppers (click here for how to roast them here), peeled, seeded, chopped
    • ½ cup red onion, chopped
    • ½ cup Manchego cheese, grated

    Instructions
     

    For the pepitas

    • Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil. In a small mixing bowl, combine the pepitas with the oil and honey. Once they are well-coated, add the spices and salt and stir to blend. Spread the pepitas on the foil-lined baking sheet and roast them in the preheated oven until they begin to brown and are very aromatic, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.

    For the dressing

    • In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice with the chiptoles, honey, cumin, and salt. Gradually whisk in the oil and set aside.

    For the salad

    • In a large serving bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the cheese. Just before serving, add the cheese, spiced pepitas and the dressing. Toss to combine.
    Keywords salad for a buffet, great for a crowd, Mexican dinner recipes
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sippitysup

      October 06, 2011 at 8:56 pm

      It's a chopped salad sort of day. LA times featured one today. I had one for lunch and now this. I guess this is what they mean by "salad days". GREG

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 07, 2011 at 6:11 am

        love it, greg!

        Reply
    2. Billy

      October 07, 2011 at 1:53 pm

      Please allow me to join in the horn tooting...EVERYTHING you make is FANTASTIC!!! and I'm looking forward to this chopped masterpiece for the party!!!

      Reply
    3. Andy

      May 22, 2012 at 7:05 pm

      The dressing is amazing. I ended up almost doubling everything. I added mango to the salad, and it was great. I was trying to recreate a salad I had once at Frontera Grill. This wasn't it, exactly, but it was really tasty!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 22, 2012 at 7:10 pm

        Andy, that's awesome! Love that you added mango -- they are so delicious right now! Cheers! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Marissa

      May 16, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Love all of the flavors and textures in this chopped salad, Valentina! I'd enjoy having those pepitas around all the time to top EVERYTHING!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2019 at 7:29 pm

        Thank you, Marissa! I actually love them on their own for snacking on. 😀 Enjoy! ~Valentina

        Reply
    5. Ron

      May 16, 2019 at 9:10 am

      You’re making me crave Tex-Mex with your salad. I love the beauty of the precise prep work.
      My son (who’s a chef) says the first thing he makes a new chef do is cut six veggies all the same size. It’s a pass or fail with him. You would pass with flying colors. Me on the other hand, well let’s just say that I might fail his test.

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2019 at 7:28 pm

        Sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Two chefs in one family. Happy to hear I'd pass your son's test. I remember having to do a lot of precise cutting and chopping in culinary school. 😀 Thanks so much for visiting, Ron! ~Valentina

        Reply
    6. angiesrecipes

      May 16, 2019 at 11:05 am

      How delicious! I must try those spiced pepitas for my salad :-))

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2019 at 7:23 pm

        Thanks, Angie. They're great even just to snack on. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    7. Eha

      May 16, 2019 at 5:36 pm

      Thank you so much for the spiced pepita and honey-chipotle dressing recipes, both of which will be added to my file not over abundant in Tex-Mex recipes . . . can cut very fine and even but prefer my salads more au naturel . . . to each, etc et all . . .

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 18, 2019 at 8:23 pm

        Thank you, Eha. A Tex-Mex recipe file sounds super delicious! 🙂 Enjoy!

        Reply
    8. David @ Spiced

      May 17, 2019 at 4:16 am

      We used to keep roasted pepitas around as an afternoon snack, but somehow we got away from that. I'm going to start doing it again! And pepitas in a salad is an amazing addition. The slight crunch and bit of nutty flavors adds so much. This salad sounds perfect for all sorts of summer grilling adventures! I hope you have a great weekend ahead, Valentina!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 17, 2019 at 5:12 pm

        Thanks, David. Get back to snacking! 😉 Hope you all have a great weekend, too! ~Valentina

        Reply
    9. David Scott Allen

      May 17, 2019 at 6:11 am

      I think I would love every bite of this! The flavor and texture combinations are absolutely perfect, Valentina! Have a fun weekend… XO

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 17, 2019 at 5:12 pm

        Thank you, David! Hope you have a delightful weekend! ~Valentina

        Reply
    10. Deb|EastofEdenCooking

      May 17, 2019 at 10:29 am

      The make ahead options in the recipe are so appealing. The bright, strong flavors make this salad a strong contender for dinner too. Add protein, and everybody is happy!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 17, 2019 at 5:16 pm

        Totally agree. Sometimes I mix chicken in and it's a super hearty meal. Thank you for checking it out. Have a fantastic weekend, Deb. ~Valentina

        Reply
    11. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      May 18, 2019 at 7:49 am

      Yes! You bet I could gobble up this delicious salad! There's not one thing I don't like! Jam packed with flavour and textures, I know I'm going to LOVE this one. Definitely gotta try soon 🙂 I'm sure it'll be on repeat!

      Reply
    12. 2pots2cook

      May 19, 2019 at 3:50 am

      Perfect to take leftovers (if any ) to work the other day ! Thank you so much !

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 19, 2019 at 10:29 am

        Ah, that's a great idea! 😀 Thanks! ~Valentina

        Reply
    13. Kim Lange

      May 21, 2019 at 5:59 am

      Looks super amazing all fresh, crunchy, sweet and sour in this salad! YUM! Pinning! xo

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 22, 2019 at 7:05 pm

        Thanks so much, Kim! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    14. Kathryn

      May 21, 2019 at 11:27 pm

      What a delight for the eyes...and so healthy and tasty... just lovely!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 22, 2019 at 7:07 pm

        Thanks so much, Kathryn! 🙂

        Reply
    15. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop

      May 22, 2019 at 5:07 am

      This is the kind of salad I love! This would be perfect for lunch and would make great leftovers too!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 22, 2019 at 7:18 pm

        Hi Kathy! Thanks so much, and yes, the leftovers are delicious. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    16. John / Kitchen Riffs

      May 22, 2019 at 8:38 am

      Chopped salads are so good! Love the dressing that you used on this one. We're eating tons -- I mean TONS -- of salad at the moment, so this is a really welcome recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 22, 2019 at 7:18 pm

        We can't seem to get enough salads these days, too. Thanks so much, John!

        Reply
    17. mimi rippee

      April 17, 2021 at 11:32 am

      Fabulous. I love all of the components. I would put jicama in every salad if it would work. And lots of times it does! Great dressing also.

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 20, 2021 at 1:15 pm

        Thanks, Mimi. Jimaca is definitely an ingredient that I don't use enough. I need to keep it on my radar. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
        • valentina

          April 22, 2021 at 9:35 am

          Enjoy Liz. Thanks so much! 🙂 ~Valentina

          Reply

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