This southwest spinach salad is quick and easy to make. Roasted frozen corn, salted pepitas, and cotija cheese are added to bright, fresh spinach greens and topped off with a cilantro lime dressing. It’s great for a side or have it for lunch with soup on the side.

This salad uses a lot of kitchen staples liked bagged spinach, frozen corn and salty pepitas. If you don’t have pepitas they are easily found in most grocery stores with the other seeds and nuts. Top with grated cotija cheese and optional avocado slices. This salad is crunchy, salty and slightly sweet from the roasted corn. I like to toss it with a cilantro lime dressing.

Ingredient Notes for Easy Southwest Spinach Salad

Spinach: Keep it simple. I used bagged baby spinach from the grocery store. I like to give mine a rough chop to create smaller, bite-size pieces.

Frozen Corn: We are going to roast the corn in the oven straight from frozen. Just add a little seasoning and spread on a baking sheet for a quick cook in the oven.

Pepitas: Pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, give a nice savory crunch to this salad. I use them in yogurt, smoothies, salads and as as a health snack. They are also a great source of protein. For this recipe, I like to use the ones that are already salted and roasted.

Cotija cheese: You can use fresh cotija which is soft and crumbly like goat cheese with a much milder flavor. You can also use grated cotija which has been aged and has a sharper flavor, similar to parmesan.

Serving Notes

This salad comes together pretty quickly. If you plan to have leftovers, set some aside before adding the dressing. You will be able to keep the salad in the fridge for several days this way. I love this salad for parties and entertaining. It’s light and full of flavor and goes great with Cilantro Lime Vinagrette. Top with avocado slices to add a creamy texture.