This corn and black bean Mexican quinoa salad with feta is loaded with veggies, beans and hearty quinoa. Makes for a light lunch or side with dinner. Perfect to go along with those summer barbecues too.
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 ’cause 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
- Can be enjoyed as a main or side dish
- Comes together in minutes
- 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 great recipe for cooking quinoa (from My Wife Can Cook)!
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 lay to one side.
- 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!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to the Girl Heart Food Newsletter!
More Tips and Variations
If you can get your hands on, use ‘unsalted’ black beans. Rinse and drain and use in recipe.
Queso fresco could be used instead of feta if you prefer.
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!
Speaking of corn, if you only have frozen on hand, use that. Thaw before using. Alternatively, use drained canned corn.
Want to keep this a vegan quinoa salad? Simply omit the feta or use a vegan feta.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Hope you love this Mexican quinoa salad recipe as much as we do!
If you make this easy quinoa salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love hearing from you! Thank you!
Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Corn and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa Salad with Feta
- ⅓ cup quinoa (cooked per package instructions (1 cup cooked))
- 1 ear corn , kernels removed (about ¾ cup)
- 19 ounce can unsalted (or no salt added) black beans , rinsed & drained
- 1 bell pepper , diced (whatever colour you prefer)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro , chopped (or parsley)
- 1 chili pepper , minced
- 4 stalks green onion , chopped (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 roma tomato , insides remove (liquidy membrane) and diced (about ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup feta cheese , crumbled (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 cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Corn and Black Bean Mexican 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.
- While quinoa is sitting with cover on after cooking, prep other ingredients. Then, combine everything in a large bowl (cooked & cooled quinoa, corn kernels, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro (or parsley), chili, green onion and tomato). Stir to combine.
- 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 olive oil, zest and juice of lime, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
Notes
- 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!
- Speaking of corn, if you only have frozen on hand, use that. Thaw before using. Alternatively, use drained canned corn.
- 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.
