This clean eating Corn and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta is loaded with veggies, beans and hearty quinoa. Makes for a light lunch or side to dinner.
This recipe was originally posted in August 2015 and has been updated with new pics, more recipe details and small tweaks in the recipe.
I typically always have cans of beans in the house. They are super tasty, super versatile, inexpensive and really good for you! Usually, I will buy the no salt added variety. If I can’t get that, I’ll always rinse & drain the beans anyway.
This quinoa salad recipe is definitely a weekday staple for easy lunches. You’ll want to eat this ’cause it tastes so good, but it is seriously good for you!
I also always have lots of veg in the house…actually, sometimes too much. I mean, it’s me, hubby & Riley…how much food can we eat? Actually, less than I sometimes think. Sometimes I may overbuy, especially when we make the occasionally trip to Costco. And who wants to waste food? Not me! I can’t stand having to throw food out that’s spoiled! It’s absolutely unnecessary, it’s wasteful and I just feel awful about it. Who doesn’t? I try to keep our grocery level at a sensible level these days, but this salad came about one day when I just had a bunch of ingredients and decided to make something that would use a lot of those things but, of course, it had to taste good. Now, I make this Mexican quinoa salad on the regular. Love it so much!
What is Quinoa? How to Cook Quinoa?
The base of this delicious meal prep salad is quinoa. Quinoa is a flowering plant (that’s actually related to spinach) and it’s seeds are used in recipes like this corn and black bean quinoa salad. I certainly didn’t grow up eating quinoa, but in recent years it has gained quite a bit in popularity. What makes quinoa so great is that it’s a complete protein (meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids).
Sometimes the outside of quinoa can be bitter so it is recommended to rinse the quinoa under cold running water for about 30 seconds before cooking (I do this even if the package says that it’s rinsed already). Drain and then cook. Every variety/package could vary. Typically, though, it’s a 2 to 1 ratio of water to quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and cooked. Let sit 5-10 minutes before removing cover and fluffing with a fork. If you want to add a little more flavour to the quinoa, cook in veggie stock instead of water.
If you’d rather cook the quinoa in an Instant Pot, My Wife Can Cook has a great recipe!
Why is this Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad so Great?
- It has quinoa, which is loaded with protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
- There’s fibre rich black beans.
- It includes lots of veggies like bell pepper and tomato, which are loaded with vitamin C.
- This one is gluten free and vegetarian.
- Meal prepping? This quinoa salad is great for that! Make a batch on Sunday for easy weekday lunches.
- Can be enjoyed as a main or side dish.
- Comes together in minutes.
- Tastes scrumptious!
How to Make this Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta
- Cook quinoa per package instructions and let cool.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and lay to one side.
- Chop veggies and cilantro. If you want to char the corn on the flame from your stovetop or bbq, do that. Otherwise, just remove the kernels from the cob.
- In a large bowl stir together the cooled quinoa, veggies, cilantro and dressing.
- You can either stir in the feta cheese or top the quinoa salad with it.
- Garnish with extra cilantro if you want.
- Enjoy!
Tips for Making this Quinoa Salad
- If you can get your hands on, use ‘unsalted’ black beans. Rinse and drain and use in recipe.
- If you don’t want to grill the corn, that’s a-ok. Simply remove kernels from cob. I’ve made both ways and both are delicious!
- Speaking of corn, if you only have frozen on hand, use that. Thaw before using.
- Want to keep this quinoa salad straight up plant based? Simply omit the feta.
- Enjoy within 3-4 days.
Other Easy Salad Recipes you May Enjoy
Hope you love this Mexican quinoa salad recipe as much as I do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂
~Dawn
P.S. If you think this healthy Mexican quinoa salad recipe will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO
Corn and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa Salad {with Feta}
Ingredients
Corn and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta
- 1/3 cup quinoa -cooked per package instructions (1 cup cooked)
- 1 ear corn -kernels removed
- 19 oz can black beans -rinsed & drained (I used 'unsalted')
- 1 bell pepper -diced (whatever colour you prefer)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro -or parsley, chopped
- 1 chili pepper -minced
- 4 stalks green onion -chopped, about 1/3 cup
- 1 roma tomato -insides remove (liquidy membrane) and diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup feta cheese -crumbled
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 lime -zest & juice (about 2 tbsp of juice)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp salt -or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, zest and juice of lime, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
Corn and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta
- Cook quinoa per package instructions. Let cool. Note - I typically cook by using 2 parts water to one part quinoa; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover & cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until tender and water is absorbed. Turn off heat and leave for about 10 minutes with cover on. Then, remove cover to cool. Fluff.
- In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, corn kernels, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro (or parsley), chili, green onion and tomato. Stir to combine.
- Stir in olive oil mixture/dressing.
- Top with crumbled feta or stir in through salad. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can get your hands on, use 'unsalted' black beans. Rinse and drain and use in recipe.
- If you don't want to grill the corn, that's a-ok. Simply remove kernels from cob. I've made both ways and both are delicious!
- Speaking of corn, if you only have frozen on hand, use that. Thaw before using.
- Want to keep this quinoa salad straight up plant based? Simply omit the feta.
- Enjoy within 3-4 days.
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