A salad that will spruce up your upcoming Spring and Summer potlucks. Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad is tossed in a lime vinaigrette and is loaded with black beans, corn, avocado and more!
Salad season is on its way!
Even though old man winter is still making his weekly appearance in Minnesota it’s not stopping me from dreaming up all of the delicious salad recipes to share with you! This Spring & Summer I plan to share all sorts of salad recipes. They’re one of my favorite kinds of recipes to create, photograph, and eat! Meanwhile, Jess will be sharing all of her favorite grilling recipes (if you didn’t know, she’s a legit grill master). I’m already putting in menu request for my next visit to Boulder, CO (where Jess lives)!
Ingredients for Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa – A naturally gluten-free grain that’s a good source of protein
- Bell pepper
- Yellow onion
- Grape tomatoes
- Black beans
- Cilantro
- Corn
- Avocado
For the Dressing:
- Oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Fine salt
How to Make Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let quinoa cool. This step can be done 1-2 days in advance.
- Once quinoa is cooled, in a large bowl combine the quinoa, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, corn and avocado. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and sea salt.
- Add the lime vinaigrette to the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl and toss gently to coat.
- Garnish with additional cilantro and serve with additional lime wedges.
Colorful, nutrient dense and full of flavor.
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad really has it all. It’s full of heart healthy fats from the avocado and avocado oil or olive oil, rich in vitamins and antioxidants with the tomatoes and bell peppers, and satisfying thanks to the complex carbs and protein from the quinoa and black beans. Flavor is added with fresh cilantro and a simple yet super tasty Lime Vinaigrette that’s made with oil, fresh lime juice and spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder). In addition to bringing Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad to a potluck, I also I like to serve this salad alongside of grilled chicken thighs or white fish for an easy weeknight meal. Best of all, leftovers make for a delicious lunch the next day. Just add some cubed chicken and you’re good to go.
Gluten-free, Nut-Free, Dairy-free, Egg-free and Vegan-friendly.
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad is free of many common allergens. On this blog we do our best to share real food recipes that fit everyones needs and desires. We believe everyone can enjoy delicious and healthy food no matter what their diet needs are. Comment below with any requests of what kind of recipes you’d like to see more of.
Give Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad a try and lets us know what you think!
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad with Black Beans & Corn
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- ½ medium red or yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced or halved
- 1(15-ounce) canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 medium avocado, cubed
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced (about ¼ cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let quinoa cool. This step can be done 1-2 days in advance.
- Once quinoa is cooled, in a large bowl combine the quinoa, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, corn and avocado. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and sea salt.
- Add the lime vinaigrette to the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl and toss gently to coat.
- Garnish with additional cilantro and serve with additional lime wedges.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup (1/10 of recipe)
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 14 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Carbohydrate: 17 g
- (Fiber: 4 g
- Sugar: 2 g)
- Protein: 4 g
Dietary
Pin Now to Make Later!
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel of Half Acre House
How do you keep the avocado fresh for a few days?
Hi Diana,
The lime juice and acidity of the tomatoes helps keep the avocado from browning to a limited extent. If you’re planning to make this ahead and eat it over the course of a couple days I’d recommend adding the avocado just before serving.
I made this today and it was really good! It did seem a bit oily, though. Is 1/2 cup of oil correct or can I cut back on it without mesding with the flavor?
Hi Amanda,
You can decrease the oil without messing with the flavor. I’d suggest starting with a 1/4 cup then adding more to suit your tastes.
Oh yeah, this looks like summer in a bowl. I might have to whip this up for our 4th of July barbecue tomorrow night. I love all your recipes!
Awesome! We hope you enjoyed this recipe!
This is showing it yields 10 to 12 servings. So I have a couple of questions. How long is it good for in the refrigerator? And can the rest be frozen for later use? Or should I half the recipe? I would like to use this as part of my meal planning.
Hi Lyndsay,
The 10-12 servings are for a side dish sized serving so if you were having a larger portion you’d have fewer servings. It will hold up in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you plan on using it for meal prep, I’d suggest adding this avocado just before serving to keep it from browning.
The Tex-Mex quinoa salad looks absolutely delicious. My doctor advised me to start an anti-inflammatory diet, and the ingredients in this salad look like they fit the bill.
Would you describe this as anti-inflammatory? I will be making it and eating it anyway, because it looks so right. 😋
Hi Vivian,
Whether or not something is ‘anti-inflammatory’ really differs from person to person when you dig down deep BUT for the most part, it’s made with healthy, clean ingredients and should be fine. We say give it a try and see how you feel – that’s really the only way to figure out what foods work best for you.