Gluten-Free and Vegan, this simple and delicious salad is colorful, flavorful and satisfying! It comes together quickly and is equally perfect for lunch, dinner, entertaining or meal prep.
If you’ve followed me a while, you know one of our favorite snacking and entertaining foods is a Black Bean Veggie Salsa that we serve alongside a big bowl of tortilla chips.
It’s fresh, crisp and tangy and when paired with crunchy chips is second to none!
The Salsa recipe is from my Aunt and it’s been a fan favorite for years!
Not only is it delicious, it is super quick and easy, taking merely minutes to assemble as it’s just 6 main ingredients:
canned black beans
canned corn
red onion
green pepper
cherry or grape tomatoes
and fresh parsley.
It is all mixed together and seasoned withRice Wine Vinegar, salt and pepper. That’s it.
And best part… these are ingredients we usually have in the house, so it can be prepared without a lot of planning.
Well, this fresh and yummy salsa can easily transform into a fresh and hearty salad by simply adding quinoa!
My husband and I were adding quinoa to any leftover salsa and eating as part of a salad so often that we decided it would be fun to just serve it as a salad sometimes!
You transform the salsa into an amazing salad but simply adding cooked quinoa at a ratio of 2 cups salsa to 1 cup quinoa.
Still using the same main 6 ingredients…
So if you’re looking for a quick dish to bring to a party or enjoy on your own (can anyone say meal prep?), make a big batch of salsa, a batch of quinoa and mix them together immediately or when you’re ready to eat.
Pro Tip: when we make this as part of meal prep, we will often keep the salsa and quinoa separate… combining when ready to serve. This keeps it super fresh-tasting!
And you could even add avocado to the salad to make it extra special and satisfying!
Whether you enjoy this as a salsa or a salad, this quick and easy (an super versatile dish!) is perfect for entertaining, meal prep, summer barbecues, Cinco de Mayo and any number of occasions!
If you’re looking for more hearty salads, click here.
For more Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo recipes, click here.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
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Scroll down to see the recipe and leave a comment if you try.
A fresh, hearty and delicious salad perfect for anytime! t's gluten-free, vegan and couldn't be easy to put together. Start with our go-to Black Bean Veggie Salsa (also great with chips!) and mix it with Quinoa. Stores well in the refrigerator for several days.
Mix all ingredients together except rice wine vinegar.
Add rice wine vinegar starting with 3 tablespoons and add more to taste (we usually add about 5 tablespoons)
Season with salt and pepper
NOTE: Salsa keeps well for several days
Salad
At a ratio of 2 cups salsa to 1 cup cooked quinoa, add quinoa to salsa and toss to combine
NOTE: I give you this ratio because we will tend to leave some of the salsa as is and make some of it into a salad. With this ratio, you have the option of making one big salad or a smaller salad or making the salad fresh each time you serve it over the course of a few days.
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
Made this for lunch today and both me and my husband loved it! I added some lime juice, and it was delicious.
So happy you love it too! Lime juice is a great idea– I bet that tasted delicious!
Delicious! Thanks for posting
One of our favorites! So happy you love it!
Very fresh and healthy! Quick to put together which I love! Having this for lunch all week over some arugula! YUM!
Yes! One of our favorite salads to have on hand and eat with greens for lunch! It’s also great with some chips 🙂
Looks amazing! What kind of vinegar can I substitute? I have red or white vinegar (or balsamic).
Hi! I’ve only ever made it with rice wine vinegar… white balsamic might be good — I would try a small portion before adding it to the entire salad.
We love this! And it travels
SO GREAT!
Yes! It’s a great salad for portability — nothing wilts! Happy you love it! Thank you!