My Wendy's Baja Salad

One of my favorite fast food salads is Wendy's Baja Salad. The best part is the side of chili that comes along with the salad. It doesn't matter what the season, I love that salad.

It is hard to really even call this a "recipe" because all I really had to do was chop the lettuce and make the pico de gallo. I made my pico by simply chopping 1 cup tomato, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1/2 of a red onion, and 1 seeded jalapeno. I placed all ingredients into a medium sized dish. Then I squeezed 1/2 of a lime over the mixture, sprinkled a little salt and sugar, and tossed it all together. You could even save yourself more time and effort by using bagged lettuce and store bought pico de gallo. Regardless, the salad is so colorful and looks way fancy, but with very little effort. This is my copycat version of Wendy's Baja Salad you can make in the comfort of your own home.

My Wendy's Baja Salad
inspired by Wendy's Baja Salad

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded 2% Colby-Jack cheese
4 cups leftover chili, gently reheated
2 cups pico de gallo
4 tablespoons prepared guacamole (I used Wholly Guacamole)
4 tablespoons prepared ranch dip or ranch dressing
Tortilla chips

Divide the lettuce among 4 large bowls. Next, layer 1/4 cup of the cheese, 1 cup chili, 1/2 cup pico de gallo, 1 tablespoon guacamole, and 1 tablespoon ranch onto each bowl of lettuce. Serve with tortilla chips.