Vegetarian Taco Salad with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing & Dip Recipe

We’re smack dab in one of the hottest months of the year, which means I want to spend as little time as possible cooking over a hot oven. It’s the time of year when salads reign king and where my cravings gravitate towards fresh, crunchy and light as opposed to the heavy stews and casseroles I prefer in the winter.

I’ve been making a version of this vegetarian taco salad for at least a decade. The lentil filling is not only the perfect replacement for beef, it also contains 18g of plant-based protein and 16g fiber per cup. Trust me, no one will miss the meat in this delicious, filling recipe. I use store-bought taco seasoning and prepared salsa to save time.

As I always have dried lentils in my kitchen, I used those in this recipe but if you really want to keep things no-cook, then feel free to swap in canned lentils instead. Once the taco lentils are ready, the salad comes together in just minutes. The other beauty of this recipe is that the vegetables are completely customizable to what your family likes; feel free to trade-in different options or throw in whatever is sitting in your salad drawer. That’s the simplicity of salads like this one, almost anything works. If you can’t imagine your salad without a little crunch, toss in toasted pepita seeds and/or tortilla chips on top.

To bring all the flavors together, drizzle with Litehouse® Jalapeño Ranch dressing. With just the right amount of heat, this Jalapeño Ranch dressing balances the creamy flavor you expect with a little spice. Once you try it on this salad, you won’t stop dipping anything you can into it! My family can’t get enough of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers dipped into this ranch.