Hearty, nutritious, and meatless, this quinoa salad is packed with southwestern flavors that will make you drool.
Easy Southwest Quinoa Salad
Need a healthy side for your favorite proteins? Need a tasty lunch you can prep ahead? This Southwest quinoa salad is the answer! Make it in 20 minutes as I’ll show you in the video below, and use it in many meals. I love to drizzle it with an out-of-this-world creamy lime dressing, which makes this salad a keeper!
Ingredients
Fresh ingredients like tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, and avocado, paired with pantry staples like canned black beans (chickpeas, pinto, red kidney also work), canned or frozen corn, white or red quinoa, and fresh or jarred salsa make this epic salad simple and delicious. I also use chili powder and ground cumin for a pinch of heat, and shredded cheese.
How to Make Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Cook the quinoa.
I like to make it ahead so it’s ready when I need it. - Assemble the salad.
Combine the cooked quinoa with salsa, seasonings, corn, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions. - Make the dressing.
Whisk the yogurt with lime juice to make the dressing and drizzle it over the salad. - Add the toppings.
Serve the salad topped with diced avocado, shredded cheese, and more cilantro.
If you’d like more recipes with quinoa, check out my cranberry quinoa salad and these cheesy quinoa bites.
Laura’s Tips for Making this Salad
I recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time, so it's ready to go when you are. It will refrigerate for up to 4 days, and to reheat, add up to ¼ cup water to 2 cups of cooked quinoa, and microwave until just warmed through- about a minute.
The entire salad can be prepped ahead and seems to taste better as time goes on. That being said, I would not add the dressing, cheese, or avocado until you are about to serve it or pack it into lunch containers. Otherwise, if you prefer to partially prep the ingredients, 2 to 3 days before you plan to eat.
This Southwest quinoa salad can be served warm or enjoyed straight from the refrigerator, chilled. However, if you assemble it ahead of time, I recommend adding the dressing just before serving. This way, you can reheat it in the microwave without ‘cooking’ the dressing.
This salad will stay fresh for up to 4 days when refrigerated in an airtight container, without any dressing or avocado. The quinoa and veggies have ample time to absorb all the flavors from the dressing and salsa.
Serving Southwest Quinoa Salad for Dinner
This salad can stand alone as an entrée or side dish to a protein such as grilled chicken, baked salmon, shrimp, tacos, or, my favorite way, a fried egg on top!
Southwest Quinoa Salad Bowls
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
For the Southwest Quinoa Salad:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup jarred salsa
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn, thawed or rinsed and drained
- 15- ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- Avocado, peeled and diced
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
For the Creamy Lime Dressing
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Cook the quinoa:
- Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the quinoa, lower the heat and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Cover and let sit for 6 minutes - you’ll know the quinoa is ready when you see the little white “tail” of the germ around the outside edge of each seed.
Assemble the salad:
- Once quinoa is done, transfer it to a large bowl and add the salsa, chili powder, and cumin. Fold to combine.
- Stir in corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions. Fold a few times until thoroughly combined.
Make the dressing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pack the dressing into mini sauce containers or add it to the salad and toss to combine.
Serve:
- Serve topped with avocado, cheese, and additional cilantro.
Notes
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tammy says
I loved this, I love the way you make every recipe so easy to follow; perfect for someone who has never cooked!
tammy dolan says
I loved this, I love the way you make every recipe so easy to follow; perfect for someone who has never cooked!