Southwest Quinoa Salad
Colorful and healthy Southwest Quinoa Salad with black beans, crunchy veggies, fresh cilantro, and tossed in a chili lime dressing!
Servings: 8 sides
Calories: 224kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa or 2.5-3 cups cooked quinoa
- 14 oz can low sodium black beans rinsed & drained
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 1 cup corn cooked or thawed
- 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 2 large limes juice of
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa as per package instructions. I like to cook quinoa with a ratio of 1 cup dry quinoa to 1.5 cups water. Unlike most packages that state 1:2 ratio. Bring to a boil, cook on low for 12 minutes, and let stand for 5 minutes. This way quinoa comes out less mushy. Or make Instant Pot quinoa.
- While quinoa is cooking, chop the veggies.
- In a large salad bowl, add black beans, bell peppers, corn, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Fluff quinoa with a fork and add to the bowl. Stir salad gently to combine and serve cold or warm.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Add all ingredients to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Stir right before serving.
- Quinoa color: White, red or tri-colour quinoa works. Red quinoa is more hearty and chewy.
- Salt: I cook my own no salt added Instant Pot black beans. So if you use low sodium or regular canned black beans, tate and adjust salt.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 216mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g