This quinoa salad with black beans, mango, and herby cilantro is a filling meal prep lunch filled with a lot taste! It’s simply contemporary components mixed with nutty quinoa in a easy however zesty crimson wine French dressing dressing.
Who else likes to cook dinner as soon as and luxuriate in ready-to-eat lunches in the course of the week? Similar! This is the reason you must also do that make-ahead-friendly chickpea salad, bulgur salad, and dense bean salad.
Right this moment’s quinoa black bean salad jogs my memory plenty of my Southwest quinoa salad, this time with juicy mango chunks and a contemporary, zesty crimson wine French dressing because the dressing. It’s plant-based and simple to make, both on the day or forward of serving. The recipe is tremendous versatile, too, so you probably have veggies within the fridge that you just’re trying to make use of, this would possibly simply be your subsequent meal!
Why I’m Loving This Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
- Layers of taste. This salad has creamy black beans, savory tomatoes, and citrusy cilantro, tossed with nutty quinoa in a easy dressing. The flavors actually shine in each chunk.
- Contemporary components. I like juicy, sweet-tart mango recipes like my mango hen, guacamole, and the mango salsa in my salmon tacos. It brings the identical scrumptious vitality to this quinoa salad with black beans.
- Made for meal prep. This quinoa black bean salad retains within the fridge for days, and it’s nice for packed lunches, potlucks, events, and nearly any meal you’ll be able to consider.
Substances You’ll Want
These are the components I add to my black bean quinoa salad. I wish to get number of flavors and textures. Scroll to the recipe card after the publish for the printable recipe with the complete ingredient quantities and directions.
- Quinoa – You can also make this salad with white, crimson, black, or tri-colored quinoa. You might must rinse the quinoa earlier than you cook dinner it, see under. Boil-in-a-bag quinoa is completely okay to make use of.
- Mango – Peeled and diced. Select a ripe mango that yields a bit once you squeeze it (just like an avocado). Additionally, give it a sniff near the stem. Ripe mangos will scent candy and fruity!
- Tomato – Diced. I like to recommend eradicating the seeds from the tomato for greatest outcomes. It’s also possible to use cherry or grape tomatoes as an alternative, through which case, merely halve them and skip the seeding step.
- Scallions – Trim off the ends earlier than slicing up the scallions. You can additionally use one other gentle salad onion, like diced candy Vidalia onion, crimson onion, or inexperienced onion.
- Contemporary Cilantro – In the event you’re delicate to cilantro, be happy to substitute it with parsley, basil, mint, or one other contemporary herb of your selecting.
- Black Beans – In the event you’re utilizing canned beans, rinse them below chilly water and drain them properly afterward. You possibly can swap black beans with pinto beans for those who’d like.
- Oil, Vinegar, and Salt – I make a easy French dressing dressing with olive oil, crimson wine vinegar, and salt. That’s it! Swap crimson wine vinegar for white wine vinegar or cider vinegar if wanted.
Why Rinse Quinoa?
A whole lot of store-bought quinoa comes pre-rinsed, but when yours doesn’t, you’ll want to scrub the quinoa below chilly water earlier than you begin. Lengthy story brief, quinoa has a pure coating, referred to as saponin, which might make the grains style bitter. To rinse the quinoa, add it to a wonderful mesh strainer and cross it below working water earlier than you boil it.
Quinoa Salad FAQs
Get inventive with totally different add-ins and components! Attempt including diced avocado, bell peppers, candy corn, feta cheese, or chopped pecans or walnuts.
Positive! In the event you’d like to alter up the dressing in your quinoa salad, I’d recommend Italian dressing or, for a creamy choice, attempt avocado dressing.
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- On the spot Pot – This makes cooking quinoa tremendous fast and simple. Simply 1 minute below stress and also you’re accomplished.
- Pot with Lid – In the event you’re cooking the quinoa on the stovetop, you’ll want a sturdy pot.
- High quality Mesh Strainer – For rinsing quinoa earlier than cooking. This helps take away the pure bitterness.
- Mixing Bowls – One for the dressing, one for the salad. I like utilizing a big bowl to offer all the pieces room to combine.
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Cook dinner the quinoa.** Rinse your quinoa below chilly working water. Place it within the bowl of an On the spot Pot together with 1 1/2 cups water. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Seal and cook dinner on MANUAL for 1 minute on excessive stress. As soon as your On the spot Pot beeps, let it do a pure launch for 10 minutes, then rigorously launch the remaining steam. Fluff your cooked quinoa with a fork, then put aside to chill.
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Make the French dressing dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, kosher salt, and crimson wine vinegar. Put aside.
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Assemble the salad. In a big bowl, mix the cooled quinoa with the mango, tomato, scallions, cilantro, and black beans. Give the dressing one other fast whisk, then pour it over the salad and gently combine the salad with a big spoon.
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Serve. Let the salad sit for quarter-hour in order that the quinoa can take in among the taste from the dressing, then serve. You possibly can serve this salad heat or chilly, whichever is simpler.
** In the event you don’t have an On the spot Pot, you’ll be able to cook dinner your quinoa on the range as follows: Place 1 cup of rinsed quinoa in a medium pot together with 2 cups of water and a pinch of kosher salt. Carry to a boil over medium warmth, then scale back to low, cowl, and simmer for quarter-hour. Take away from the warmth and let the pot sit for 10 extra minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and put aside to chill.
Energy: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 9g | Fats: 11g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Sodium: 477mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in accordance with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
Stovetop Technique
Add the quinoa, 2 cups of water, and salt to a pot. Carry the pot to a boil, then simmer over low warmth for quarter-hour. Afterward, take the pot off the warmth and let it sit for 10 minutes whereas the remaining liquid absorbs.
Storage Suggestions
Retailer leftover quinoa black bean salad in a coated container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. It’s nice to take alongside for lunch on busy days or make forward for a celebration. I wish to stretch this salad even additional and blend it with leafy greens, like kale, spinach, or arugula.