Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad

This Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad is a crunchy, texture-filled salad topped with a lightened up, creamy, sriracha ranch with just the rick amount of kick! We’ve got romaine, red cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions, shredded white cheddar, toasted pepitas, and crunchy tortilla strips! So much texture and flavor!

This salad was inspired by a bagged salad mix that I buy when I’m either suuuuper burned out from cooking, or on busy photography days when I can’t really make myself lunch. It’s sooo delicious and I knew I needed to re-create it at home. I’m not typically a creamy dressing kind of gal (I love super vinegary vinaigrettes), but this one is really really delicious.

And this salad has all the crunch factor you could ever want: romaine, red cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions, shredded white cheddar, toasted pepitas, and freshly fried tortilla strips! And don’t worry – we aren’t deep frying here, just crisping up our tortillas in a little oil over the stove. It’s soooo worth it!

Let’s talk about the dressing. It’s basically a slightly spicy, lightened up ranch! It’s made with mostly Greek yogurt, a tiiiny bit of mayo for richness, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, sriracha for heat, a touch of honey for sweetness, and a little lime and apple cider vinegar for zip! Oh and buttermilk! Adds tanginess without sacrificing richness.

It’s sooo good. And like I said earlier, I’m not usually a creamy dressing person!

I will say that this salad is best when made and consumed right away, just because of the nature of the ingredients. The dressing is best fresh, the crispy tortilla strips are best right out of the pan (obviously), and everything else too!

I wouldn’t meal prep this either, unless you kept all of the ingredients separate and tossed when you were ready! Even then, I’d maybe use crushed tortilla chips instead of making the strips from scratch, because they don’t always stay crispy when they’re homemade like that! Crushed chips in salad is always a good idea, right?

Definitely not a Monday salad.

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Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad

This Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad is a crunchy, texture-filled salad topped with a lightened up, creamy, sriracha ranch with just the rick amount of kick! We've got romaine, red cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions, shredded white cheddar, toasted pepitas, and crunchy tortilla strips! So much texture and flavor!

Course Main, Main Course, Salad, Side

Cuisine Gluten Free, Salad, Vegetarian

Keyword healthy chopped salad recipe, healthy ranch chopped salad, healthy sriracha ranch, homemade ranch recipe, sriracha ranch recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 3 -4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the salad

• 5-6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup shredded white cheddar
• 2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted*
• 2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4''-1/2'' strips
• avocado or grapeseed oil for frying*
• salt to taste

For the sriracha ranch dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions

For the salad

1. In a large salad bowl, toss together the romaine, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, white cheddar, and toasted pepitas. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, pour in enough oil to go about 1/2''-3/4'' up the sides. Once hot, fry the tortilla strips in batches, for about 20-30 seconds or until golden and crispy. Set aside to drain on paper towels, and sprinkle generously with salt immediately while they're hot!

3. Once ready to serve, add the tortilla strips to the salad and drizzle with desired amount of sriracha ranch. Toss and serve immediately with extra dressing!

For the sriracha ranch

1. Combine all sriracha ranch ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Recipe Notes

*To toast pepitas, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat, and toast them until they're golden brown and begin to "pop". Watch carefully, they can burn quickly!
*For the oil, make sure you're using a high heat friendly oil. Canola or vegetable will work here too!