Celebrate summer’s fresh bounty with a perfectly seasoned, veggie-stuffed, beef fajita salad, topped with a light and creamy, Tex-Mex-inspired salsa dressing. This post is a sponsored recipe collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company to bring irresistible meals to your table all summer long. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Summer’s hot temps and endless blue skies have arrived, and that means it’s time to gather friends and family around the table for all the delicious meals summer has to offer!
Even though the food of summer is the total bomb dot com, we still don’t want to spend allll of those golden sunshine hours behind the stove or the grill. Long, lazy turns in front of high-heat-emitting devices are for winter soups and stews, peeples!
No, summer sun is for swimming and volleyball and chasing lightning bugs. It’s for softball – both watching and playing – and guzzling our favorite Coca-Cola® sodas, cracked open icy cold, straight from cooler.
And when we’re hungry, we want meals that are fast and easy and fresh and craveworthy.
Cue, today’s beef fajita salad: **bursts onto the scene and shouts, “Holla, I’m here!”**
I love fajitas, you love fajitas, we all love fajitas! And, friends, you know how I also love da food in bowls. So let’s do a little summer hackety-hack and make fajitas super-easy to assemble by skipping the tortillas and tucking all of that fajita filling goodness into lettuce lined bowls. A.K.A. Fajita salads!
And then let’s top the whole thing with a spicy-tangy, Tex-Mexy, summery dressing that’s so good you’ll be tempted to eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon. (I may or may not know from personal experience that that’s a thing you’ll actually want to do. I admit nothing! [wipes dressing off chin])
Salsa dressing! ^^^This^^^ Salsa is one of my favorite summer condiments, and I spoon it on everything, from rice dishes to scrambled eggs to salmon filets.
But know what? It also makes an awwesomme salad dressing. So head on out to Sam’s Club, pick up the two-pack of their authentic cantina-style salsa, and make this dressing now to stash in the fridge for the next time those fajita cravings hit hard. (Tonight, right?)
And while you’re at Sam’s Club, pick up their family-size party pack of fully-cooked and seasoned Angus Beef Fajitas, so that fajitas with friends and fam are just a quick sizzle away.
And the extra wonderful thing about an easy beef fajita salad for a summer crowd? The weather doesn’t matter! I don’t know about y’all, but the weather here in Cincinnati can turn on a dime — one second sunny, the next, !surprise! a storm blows through and knocks the plants off the deck rail.
Go ahead and plan your gathering, and know that you can cook up the beef fajitas and vegetables on the stove (’cause rain happens!) or on the grill. Either way, everything will be ready lickety-split and super tasty, and you’ll be the hero of dinner.
There’s just nothing in the summer as satisfyingly delightful as a really beautiful, rainbow-colored salad, bursting with hearty flavors and textures. Don’t you just want to dig right into the photo above with a fork? 🙂
I just love the combination of the cooked veggies and protein with the bright freshness of the raw tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, and jalapeños. And topped with salsa dressing and a big sprinkling of cilantro – such a tasty and satisfying dinner that will make everyone smile!
Serve with frosty cans of Fanta® orange soda, Barq’s® root beer, and the summer classic, Coca-Cola® Cherry — all available in a handy party-sized variety pack at Sam’s Club — and celebrate your summer moments over a delicious and oh-so-easy meal.
Thanks to Coca-Cola® for sponsoring this post and headlining the flavors of summer. And thanks to you, superfine readers, for supporting the brands that help keep the lights on around this foodie joint.
Karen xo
Beef Fajita Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing
Ingredients
for the dressing
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup medium cantina style salsa
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 heaping tablespoon chopped green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
for the fajita salad
- 24 ounce bag John Soules Foods Angus Beef Fajitas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or spray oil
- 1 red onion , sliced or roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , sliced into thin strips
- 1 green bell pepper , sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup corn kernels (from one ear of corn, or thawed from frozen)
- 1 medium head lettuce , cored, leaves rinsed, dried, and roughly chopped
- 1 avocado , sliced thin
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 1 jalapeño pepper sliced (optional)
- 1/2 fresh lime
- Chopped cilantro , for topping
Instructions
- For the salsa - Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender and process until smooth and completely blended. Set aside (dressing can made be ahead of time and stored in the fridge).
- For the fajita salad - Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the beef fajitas, cooking to package directions. Transfer the fajitas to a plate and set aside.
- Add the oil to the large skillet and let warm until shimmering. Add the onions, bell peppers, and corn and saute until the onions and peppers have softened. Return the fajitas to the skillet and warm through. Squeeze lime juice over the fajitas.
- Line serving bowls generously with lettuce, and spoon the beef fajitas and vegetables over the top. Top with avocado slices, tomatoes, jalapeño slices (if using), and cilantro. Drizzle with the creamy salsa dressing, and serve more on the side so your guests can help themselves.
- Serve immediately with frosty Coca-Cola® soft drinks in tall glasses with lots of ice.
Sarah
Wednesday 26th of July 2017
This was a very nice summer salad. I grilled everything outside on a big grill pan, and assembled the salads right at the grill. Love the dressing - it really made the salad!
Mary
Saturday 15th of July 2017
I made this tonight for my husband and I. It was so good, delicious! I cut it in half and it was more than enough for the two of us. Really, really enjoyed this. Thank you!! Perfect summer meal.
SoupAddict
Monday 17th of July 2017
Thanks, Mary! So glad to hear from more fajita-lovin' peoples! :D
Donna
Monday 10th of July 2017
It looks wonderful! Do you have the recipe for the dressing?
SoupAddict
Tuesday 11th of July 2017
Hi Donna - soooo glad you commented: there was a glitch with the recipe display! It's all there now -- thanks, and hope you enjoy it!