I don’t know about you, but I can never seem to get enough bean salads! The perfect make-ahead lunch, I love to make a big batch of this on a Sunday afternoon and eat it throughout the week. What I love most about this bean salad, is that it features LIME, which I find to be a twist on the usual lemon you might find in classic bean salads. It’s such a nice portable lunch that I love to pack it and bring it with me. And to make it even better, I’ll usually add in raisins for some sweetness, some crumbled feta, pepitas for added crunch, and some gluten free crackers with a dollop of hummus on the side. This Addicting Black Bean & Quinoa Salad is vegetarian perfection!
Addicting Black Bean & Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook one cup of quinoa according to the directions on the package, adding in 1/2 tsp of the salt
- Once quinoa has cooked, transfer to a large salad bowl, fluff and let it cool
- Once cool, add the kale, red bell pepper, Chile pepper, onion, black beans, lime juice, oil, and remaining 1/4 salt and toss to combine all ingredients
- Taste, adding any additional salt, if needed. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, top with avocado slices, pumpkin seeds, cheese, or olives. I also like to add in a few raisins for a little sweetness, and a dollop of hummus on the side with some crackers or chips for added crunch!
Notes
How do I cook quinoa?
Quinoa may seem tricky to spell, but it couldn’t be easier to make! Make sure to always rinse your quinoa with a fine mesh strainer before adding 1 part quinoa to 2 cups of water or broth in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover your pot, turn down your heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. That’s it! For this recipe you will want to make this quinoa ahead of time to allow it to cool. Or you could simply pop it in the fridge or freezer without a lid to cool it faster. I recommend doing the cooking of the quinoa first so that it can be cooling while you are busy chopping up the rest of your vegetables.
Can I swap a different kind of bean instead of using black beans?
Absolutely! I have certainly done that. I’ve used chickpeas, but I could see pinto beans working well also!
How easy is it to double this Addicting Black Bean & Quinoa Salad recipe?
Super simple. A lot of times I won’t even change the measurements for the olive oil and lime, as I feel it is rather generous with the 1/3 cup of each. All I do is do two cans of beans instead of one, and add in 2 to even 3 cups of quinoa! I’ll simply adjust by adding in a little bit more salt. Closer to 1 full teaspoon.
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Recipe adapted from Run Fast Eat Slow, by Elyse Kopecky, Shalane Flanagan (Rodale Books, 2016)
Yum!
I love this!
I’m so glad!!! Yay! Thanks for sharing!
So addicting!!
I’m so glad you love it too!!! 🙂