This corn and black bean Mexican quinoa salad with feta is loaded with veggies, beans and hearty quinoa. It makes for a light lunch or side with dinner, and it goes perfect with those summer barbecues.
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 always have cans of beans in the house. They are super tasty, super versatile, inexpensive and tasty!
This quinoa salad recipe is definitely a weekday staple for easy lunches. You’ll want to eat this because it tastes so good, but it is also seriously loaded with good stuff!
I also always have lots of vegetables in the house, 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 one of those large grocery store warehouses. 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?
This corn and black bean quinoa salad came about one day when I had a bunch of ingredients I wanted to use up and, of course, it had to taste good. Now, I make this Mexican quinoa salad on the regular. Love it so much!
Why We Love This Quinoa Salad with Feta
- It has hearty, quinoa and black beans.
- It includes lots of colourful veggies, like bell pepper and tomato.
- This salad can be enjoyed as a main or side dish.
- It comes together in minutes.
- Of course, it tastes scrumptious!
How to Cook Quinoa Perfectly
The base of this delicious salad is quinoa. I don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t grow up eating quinoa. It just wasn’t a thing. These days though? I’m all about it and it’s a regularly stocked item in our pantry.
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 or package could vary. Typically, though, it’s a 2 to 1 ratio of water to quinoa.
Bring water to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and cooked. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before removing cover and fluffing with a fork.
Tips: If you want to add a little more flavour to the quinoa, cook in veggie broth instead of water. You can also add a pinch or so of salt to the quinoa (I opted not to for this recipe, but you could totally add salt if you wish).
If you’d rather cook the quinoa in an electric pressure cooker, this is a recipe for cooking quinoa.
How to Make It
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Cook quinoa and let cool. Use ⅓ cup of dried quinoa. It will roughly triple in size to give you the 1 cup cooked quinoa needed for this recipe.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Chop veggies and cilantro. If you want to char the corn on your 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!
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Tips and Variations
- You can grill the corn before removing kernels or simply remove the kernels and enjoy as is. I’ve made both ways and both are delicious!
- If you only have canned corn on hand, use that (drain before using).
- Queso fresco could be used instead of feta if you prefer.
- Want to keep this a vegan quinoa salad? Simply omit the feta or use a vegan feta.
More Easy Salad Recipes
If you make this Mexican quinoa salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Feta
- ⅓ cup quinoa (cooked per package instructions (1 cup cooked))
- ¾ cup corn kernels (from about 1 ear of corn)
- 19 ounce can unsalted (or no salt added) black beans , rinsed & drained
- 1 bell pepper , diced (whatever colour you prefer)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
- 1 chili pepper , minced
- 4 stalks green onion , chopped (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 roma tomato , seeds removed and diced (about ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 5 tablespoons). If preferred, use a vegetarian or vegan feta to keep this vegetarian or vegan.
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 lime , zest & juice (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Feta
- Cook quinoa per package instructions. Let cool slightly. You want 1 cup of cooked quinoa for this recipe (which means about ⅓ cup uncooked quinoa and ⅔ cup water).Note: I typically cook by using 2 parts water to one part quinoa; place in a pot, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover & cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until tender and water is absorbed. Turn off heat and leave for about 10 minutes with cover on. Then, remove cover and fluff with a fork. Allow to cool a little.
- To a large bowl, add cooked & cooled quinoa, corn kernels, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro (or parsley), chili, green onion and tomato. Stir until well combined.
- Stir in dressing.
- Top with crumbled feta or stir in through salad. Enjoy!Note: Enjoy immediately or properly store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, zest and juice of lime, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper until well combined.
Notes
- You can grill the corn before removing kernels or simply remove the kernels and enjoy as is.
- If you only have canned corn hand, use that (drain before using).
- Want to keep this a vegan quinoa salad? Simply omit the feta.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Elaine
Quinoa salads were such a big thing in a few years ago, and I decided earlier today that it’s time they made a comeback! Working on one in my kitchen today, and BOOM here’s your fabulous recipe! Looks SO tasty, Dawn! Must try soon.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Haha! Too funny! Thank you Elaine! Hope you love it 🙂
Colleen
This is my fave kind of salad; I love the flavours, and that it’s perfect for meal prep and a meal in itself. Delicious as always, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Colleen 🙂 Appreciate that!
Kelly | Foodtasia
Dawn, love this salad! It has all of my favorite flavors. I love quinoa and this is a great way to use it!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Kelly 🙂
Sarah
I just made a corn and quinoa salad yesterday, but I wish I’d put feta in it! This looks delicious!! I’ll try it your way next time 😀
Leanne Combden
This is my kind of salad Dawn! I can see myself prepping this for lunches this summer! Not to mention as a side for all the grilling we are going to do!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
This is my kind of salad! I love all those healthy ingredients and all that fresh flavor from the veggies. The dressing with the lime juice and smoke paprika sounds just perfect! Nicely done, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Kathy!!
Marissa
I’m cracking up because we had quinoa salad for lunch today. We love them! So you know I’ve got to try this one for sure – looks SO delicious!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Such a staple, right?? Thank you Marissa! Hope you love it!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Yay for all of the colours! This is so my kind of salad, Dawn! Quinoa is definitely a staple around here, I always put it in salads! Diggin that feta too 😉 I’ll be trying this one out as soon as we get back home! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Hope you love it, Katherine! Thanks so much! XOXO
[email protected]
Ahhhh! A burst of flavor! So happy you reposted! This one’s a keeper! Hope your Monday is great, my friend! xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks my friend! Same to you! XOXO
Laura
Dawn, this is my kind of recipe, too! I usually have most, if not all, of these ingredients right in front of me! Will be making this lovely salad – I could likely eat it every day!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Laura! Hope you love it 🙂
Haylie / Our Balanced Bowl
Ooooh Dawn, this recipe is right up my alley!! I love how you could make a big batch of it at the beginning of the week and be set for lunches!! Sadly my husband doesn’t like corn (what is even wrong with him!?) but luckily that means more for me!! YUM!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay!!! Definitely more for you 😉 Thank you Haylie!
Valentina
It doesn’t get much better than healthy, delicious AND pretty! And yes, a great way to use up those veggies. As much as we eat around here, I always seem to be worried some will go bad. Cheers! ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Valentina!! Hope you have a lovely week 🙂
Milena
Such a vibrant salad and I just looove the cumin in the dressing!. So excited about fresh corn – people here in Colorado grow some pretty amazing corn:) Pinned.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Milena! I would love to try that corn 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
I love quinoa salads Dawn. And add veggies and black beans for heartiness and it’s a meal that I would enjoy for lunch, dinner or just plain snacking. This looks totally delicious and perfect for summer parties at the beach! Pinned and excited to try!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
For sure! Thank you Mary Ann 🙂
David @ Spiced
We make a black bean salad several times each summer, and this totally reminds me of that one. However, adding the quinoa means we can turn that salad into a meal all by itself. I’m totally on board with that! This looks like a delicious summer dish, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally!! Thank you David! Happy to hear it 🙂
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
Delicious, Dawn! Love all of these flavours and colours together. This is a gorgeous meal in itself, or a fabulous side dish 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Alexandra!!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I’m so glad you reposted this because I missed it the first time around, and it’s totally the kind of food I love! I eat beans and/or quinoa pretty much every day so I’m totally trying this! And I LOVE that it has feta in it. Have a great week, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay!! So happy to hear that, Kelsie!! Hope that you love it as much as we do 🙂 Have a wonderful week ahead!
Matt @ Total Feasts
Oh let’s be honest, with these ingredients what you have really made is a a Mexican superfoods salad. I love it, it’s just the type of thing I would devour! I bet if I chucked in some grilled chicken and put it in a wrap it would work too!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Thanks so much, Matt! That would be lovely too 🙂