The dressing for this salad is definitely the star. It's a simple combination of homemade ranch dressing with your choice of either store bought or homemade BBQ sauce. It has a nice creamy kick with a bit of tang, depending on the BBQ sauce you use. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce is a favorite of ours but any one will do. The dressing can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
The salad itself has the usual suspects found in a southwestern style salad - iceberg and romaine lettuce, sliced red onions, carrots, corn, cheddar cheese... and crushed corn chips! Instead of croutons, I liked the flavor and texture the crushed corn chips bring.
Now had I had the leftover BBQ pork as initially planned, I would have served it on top of the tossed salad. You can also use BBQ chicken or BBQ beef, but even on it's own, it's delicious and makes for either a good side dish or entree salad!
BBQ Ranch Chopped Salad
dressing recipe adapted from Cooking Light
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup bottled BBQ sauce (or homemade BBQ sauce)
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Salad:
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced into bite sized pieces
1/2 head of romaine lettuce, sliced into bite sized pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 thinly sliced green onions (green part only)
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed corn chips
Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.
Place salad ingredients in salad serving bowl, tossing to combine.
Add 1/2 cup of dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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