Frito Corn Salad perfectly fits the Midwestern definition of “salad.” My Midwestern friends know that if someone is bringing a salad to a barbecue there is a good chance it doesn’t contain any actual lettuce and an even better chance mayo is listed in the ingredients. With Memorial Day being the unofficial start to summer I figured now was a good time as any to share this new salad I am totally jamming on.

At the end of February, my nephew Kael turned one and this salad was served at his party. I have to say Kael has great taste in salad! Frito Corn Salad is more salad-like than most Midwestern salads. It is full of veggies and even has a nice touch of green, courtesy of the cilantro. Corn, peppers, black beans, scallions, and cilantro… I mean look at all those veggies!  I am a born and raised Midwestern gal I can totally sell you on exactly why this is a salad. 😆

My brother sent over the recipe and true-to-form I tweaked it a bit. The original recipe called for a green bell pepper, a red bell pepper, and two cans of corn. I subbed two cups of mini sweet bell peppers (currently all about these mini sweet peppers) for the red and green bell peppers and a can of black beans for one can of corn. You could use fresh sweet corn instead of canned corn, once it is in season. Mmmmm!

All the veggies, mayo, and cheese get mixed up together and chill in the fridge for a bit. Stir in the Fritos right before serving. The Fritos can get a little soggy if mixed in earlier. If you don’t mind soggy Fritos…. who are you?…. then mix them in right away. To each, their own. Right?!

Getchyo summer started with some salad!

Tell me! What is your favorite summer “salad”?