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This zesty quinoa Southwestern salad brings together flavorful black beans, sweet corn, and fresh tomatoes tossed with fluffy quinoa and creamy avocado dressing.
If you’re looking for a quick and filling meal to make for lunch this week, you’ve found it! This quinoa Southwestern salad is piled high with black beans, sweet corn kernels, and ripe tomatoes, and topped with zesty and creamy avocado dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Quinoa Salad
- Satisfying. This quinoa salad is packed with tasty Tex-Mex flavor. It has creaminess from the black beans paired with crisp corn kernels and juicy tomatoes tossed with tender quinoa and zesty avocado dressing.
- Quick. You’ll have all the ingredients ready in the time it takes for the quinoa to boil.
- Versatile. Serve this zesty salad as an easy lunch or side dish. Turning it into a full meal is as easy as adding your choice of protein!
What Is Quinoa?
While many people consider quinoa a whole grain, it’s an edible seed of the quinoa plant. Quinoa is a great source of plant protein and it’s easy to find in most major grocery stores. The seeds come in different colors such as white, black, or tri-colored, and you’ll often find it in the same aisle as the grains, rice, and beans.
Ingredient Notes
- Quinoa – You can use any variety you’d like. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions before you start.
- Corn and Black Beans – Canned corn kernels and black beans work perfectly. Remember to drain and rinse them well before using.
- Tomatoes – Dice up your choice of full-sized tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
- Avocado – Scoop out the flesh from the peel and remove the pit. Ripe avocados will be blackish-green in color and feel soft to the touch (but not mushy).
- Plain Yogurt – You can use regular or low-fat yogurt. Sour cream is also a good substitute.
- Lemon Juice – Or lime juice, freshly squeezed.
- Soy Sauce – I recommend low-sodium soy sauce. You can also use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil also works great here.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make a Quinoa Southwestern Salad
- Cook the quinoa. Boil 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of quinoa. Add the quinoa to the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Drain the corn and black beans. Meanwhile, drain and then rinse the canned corn and black beans, and dice up your tomatoes.
- Make the dressing. Combine and blend the avocado dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Assemble the salad. Give the cooked quinoa a fluff with a fork and then transfer it to a serving dish. Layer on your corn, black beans, and tomatoes, then drizzle over the dressing (or serve it on the side).
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Rinse the quinoa first. Most quinoa brands come already rinsed, but I recommend using a fine mesh sieve to rinse the grains under cold water either way. Rinsing helps the cooked quinoa taste less bitter.
- You could use fresh corn and beans. In place of canned veggies, you can prepare dried black beans and shave fresh corn kernels off corn on the cob.
- For a lighter dressing, swap out the cream avocado dressing with a vinaigrette, or try another easy homemade salad dressing.
- If you’d like to adjust the dressing consistency, thin it out by adding water, about one tablespoon at a time. For a thicker consistency, simply add more yogurt.
- Salad wraps. Dish up spoonfuls of quinoa salad over a bed of fresh leafy greens for a quinoa salad bowl or wrap.
- Add cheese. Top this quinoa Southwestern salad with feta cheese, or crumble over Mexican cotija cheese or queso blanco.
- More add-ons. Try adding on chickpeas, diced avocado, jalapeños, sliced bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, or cooked crumbled bacon.
- Grains. In place of quinoa, layer your salad ingredients over a bed of couscous, orzo pasta, or lentils.
Ways to Serve Salad
An easy quinoa Southwestern salad makes a great light lunch on its own. Top your salad with chicken strips seasoned with taco seasoning, as I do in my Southwest chicken salad, or try adding zesty cilantro lime chicken or steak fajitas to make it a main meal. I also love this salad topped with spicy Mexican camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp) in the summertime. You could pair this quinoa salad as a side to more Southwestern favorites like baked tacos, homemade chicken enchiladas, or this baked salsa chicken.
Do You Eat Quinoa Salad Hot or Cold?
I usually give the quinoa some time to cool off before I assemble this Southwestern-style salad. However, you can enjoy the salad warm or cold depending on the season and your preference. It tastes amazing, warmed up with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
How to Store Leftovers
Quinoa salads are great for meal prep. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to one week. I don’t recommend freezing the finished quinoa salad. However, cooked plain quinoa can be stored airtight and frozen for up to 3 months.
More Quinoa Recipes
- Crunchy Kale Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes
- Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cheesy Quinoa Zucchini Fritters
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Quinoa Southwestern Salad
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 2 cups water,, or chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa,, rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) corn,, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans,, drained and rinsed
- 2 fresh tomatoes,, diced
For The Creamy Avocado Dressing
- ½ avocado,, peeled and pit removed
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice,, or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- chopped fresh green onions,, for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley or cilantro,, for garnish
- thinly sliced avocado,, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil. Add in 1 cup quinoa, stir, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover; cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the vegetables and the dressing.
- To make the dressing, combine avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste the dressing and adjust it to your liking.
- Arrange the quinoa on a large plate and top it with black beans, corn, and tomatoes.
- Toss the quinoa salad with the dressing, or serve the salad with the dressing on the side.
- Optionally, you could garnish the salad with chopped green onions, cilantro, and sliced avocado before serving.
Notes
- Rinse Quinoa: Before cooking, rinse quinoa under cold water in a fine mesh strainer to remove the coating.
- Cool Before Mixing: Let the quinoa cool for a bit before adding it to the salad. This prevents it from becoming mushy and allows it to absorb the dressing better.
- Include Textures: Quinoa salad is versatile, so feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients and dressings. You can add chopped bell peppers, chickpeas, diced cucumbers, cubed chicken, etc.
- Serving: This salad can be served as a starter or a light lunch.
- Make Ahead: Quinoa can be made ahead of time, making it perfect for meal prep.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Gorgeous salad! If I were a normal, boring, salad – I’d be super-jealous.
I’m pale as new snow too! It’s okay. 😀
I have yet to try quinoa but you are tempting me. I could swim in that dressing!
This looks so good! I’ve been wanting to make quinoa salad for a while now, and this might be the first one I try! I love how bright and summery it looks.
Also the dressing sounds really good and different from most avocado dressings that I’ve tried.
Gorgeous healthy quinoa and bean salad, Kate! Love quinoa and it is nice knowing when you eat it that it is a complete protein. I need this after all the badness I’ve been eating of late, LOL! Thanks for sharing!
I love this colorful salad and it looks so healthy that I could eat the entire thing guilt-free, right? 😉
Pshhh, I did! 😀
Actually, black beans are a high protein food. 🙂
This looks so good! I’m new to quinoa and am obsessed. Can’t get enough of it. (or black beans or corn or avocado for that matter hehe) Thanks! Can’t wait to try it. 😀
Dang! I should have said “meat” instead 🙂 But you know what I mean. 🙂 I hope you have a chance to try it… I could not stop eating it.
Looks awesome! I love all things quinoa…and avocado…..and black bean…..ok I might want to marry this salad
I’m thinking about doing the same ;-D
Thank You!!
I am laughing and laughing… I have finished one of my next posts yesterday which recipe is a quinoa salad (not a southwestern). Well, it really seems that good minds think alike. Your salad looks delish. The avocado sauce (instead of sliced avocados) was a creative idea. Have a great week, Kate!
What a fun, festive and healthy salad. This is the way I should eat every day. 🙂
I would be eating this everyday too if it was available. I need to get more quinoa. I had so much for the longest time and then all of a sudden the pantry is empty.
I buy a huge bag from Costco every couple of months so that I don’t run out 😀