Quinoa Black Bean Salad (Make Ahead)

Quinoa black bean salad with cilantro and lime is a delicious and easy lunch or dinner to make ahead and eat all week.

I am not vegan or vegetarian, y’all. But this quinoa black bean salad checks all the boxes for me.

✅ Tasty

✅ Filling

✅ Satisfying

✅ Simple

✅ Fresh

It’s sooo good!😍🙌🏻 And full of plant-based protein, fiber and veggies. 🎉🤸🏼‍♂️

I start with a little quinoa, which I cooked up Instant Pot style. No worries, if you don’t have an Instant Pot (Amazon affiliate) you can cook it on the stovetop too according to package instructions.

Once it was cooked, I let it cool in the fridge while I diced and sautéed up the peppers, onions and corn. I combine that, and then add in some canned black beans, cilantro and a squeeze of lime, and bam!

Taste perfection. 😋👌🏻

A couple of notes on serving. When the question is should I add avocado? The answer is always YES.👌🏻🥑 I like to sprinkle a little salt on my avocado. I ate the first batch as is, right when I made it.

If you are packing this to take to work, I’d suggesting throwing in a few additional lime wedges for flavor, plus and avocado to slice/ dice up and put on top just prior to eating. If you add these things too far ahead, the avocado browns and the flavor is just not the same.

Of course, if you are just pulling out of the fridge at home like I do, it is so easy to prepare. I just add my extra squeeze of lime juice and avocado.

Total meal prep game changer.💁🏼‍♀️ Because I am so much more likely to eat lots of veggies and goodness if I make it easy on myself. 👏🏻👍🏻

I hope y’all enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

Tools Used to Make Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links. Shopping through these links supports A Pinch of Healthy at no extra cost to you.

• Measuring spoons
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Measuring cup
• Knife and cutting board
• Large skillet for sautéing the veggies
• Large mixing bowl for combining everything
• A manual citrus juicer is helpful for juicing the limes, but not required

Quinoa Black Bean Salad Recipe

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3.75 from 4 votes

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Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Quinoa black bean salad with cilantro and lime is a delicious and easy lunch or dinner to make ahead and eat all week.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword quinoa, quinoa black bean salad, quinoa salad

Prep Time 4 minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 321 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked to package instructions
• 1 can black beans. rinsed and drained
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• cooking spray
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of 1 large lime, plus additional lime slices for serving leftovers (You can use more, but I just like a hint of lime)
• Avocado slices for serving (I like to salt my avocado)

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions and allow it to cool. I like to put mine in the fridge.

2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, and sauté the onions and red pepper over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, plus the corn and cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the quinoa and veggie mixture to a large bowl, along with the black beans and cilantro.

5. Squeeze the juice from one large lime over the top, and toss to combine. Taste to see if you want to add more salt and pepper.

6. Top with sliced/ diced avocado for serving. You can serve immediately at room temperature, or use this as a make-ahead meal (refrigerate leftovers).

7. For leftovers, I recommend adding more lime juice and fresh avocado just prior to eating.

Recipe Notes

You can also use this as a side dish. I would estimate that it makes 6 side dish sized servings, versus 3 to 4 larger meal-sized servings.

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 321 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Sodium 495mg 21%

Potassium 784mg 22%

Total Carbohydrates 60g 20%

Dietary Fiber 12g 48%

Sugars 6g

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 20.8%

Vitamin C 55.6%

Calcium 7.4%

Iron 25.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.