Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco

5 from 1 vote

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The perfect side for a Mexican meal.

Two spoons in a bowl of Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco.
Spoon putting Queso Fresco on a Romaine Salad.

This Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco is a great salad to make when you need an accompaniment to a Mexican dinner, such as enchiladas, tacos, or burritos. Queso cotija is a crumbly, dry cow’s milk cheese with a pronounced salty flavor. A little bit goes a long way. Cotija can be purchased in small rounds or large blocks, and it is often used crumbled or grated as a topping for burritos, soups, salads, and tacos. You can often buy it crumbled or grated.

Though if you substitute feta for the queso, suddenly you can think about Greek meals. And maybe Ricotta salata? Italian! Goat cheese. Now you can think Mediterranean! Anyway, this Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco really is just a lovely green salad with onions and peppers and a simple clean vinaigrette that goes with lots of things. And leave off the cheese if you want just a simple salad.

Romaine Salad topped with red onion, red bell pepper, and celery.

Vidalias are sweet onions, available April through early September, are sweeter than regular white, yellow, or red onions, and while they still have an oniony flavor, it’s not nearly as sharp. Read all about vidalias and what you can do with them here. 

This makes it a nice onion to use in salads when you are introducing onions to kids or to people who think they don’t like onions (many people just get nervous that onions will be too strong—they add so much flavor to dishes, both raw and cooked, that they are a shame to miss out on. Use Vidalias, or other sweet onions,  as a gateway onion.

This is the perfect simple salad to make when you need an accompaniment to a Mexican dinner.

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How to Make Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco

In a large bowl combine the lettuce, celery, onion, and bell pepper.

Romaine, celery, red bell pepper, and red onion in a bowl.

Add the dressing and toss to combine.

Woman pouring dressing onto a Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco.

Transfer to a serving bowl, and sprinkle over the queso fresco.

Two spoons in a bowl of Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco.

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5 from 1 vote

Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco

The perfect side for a Mexican meal.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 People

Ingredients 

For the Dressing

For the Salad

  • 6 cups slivered romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • ½ Vidalia onion very thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • cup crumbled queso cotija

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl or container combine the rice vinegar, olive oil, shallots, mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir or shake to combine.
  • In a large bowl combine the lettuce, celery, onion, bell pepper, then add the dressing and toss to combine.  Transfer to a serving bowl, and sprinkle over the queso fresco.

Notes

Vidalia is a nice onion to use in salads when you are introducing onions to kids or to people who think they don’t like onions (many people just get nervous that onions will be too strong—they add so much flavor to dishes, both raw and cooked, that they are a shame to miss out on.  Use Vidalias, or other sweet onions,  as a gateway onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 185mg, Potassium: 352mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 7238IU, Vitamin C: 44mg, Calcium: 103mg, Iron: 1mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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