I’m a huge fan of “refrigerator salads.” Or salads that hold up well in the fridge so you can make them in the beginning of the week and have something wholesome to eat from all week long. This Smoky Quinoa and Black Bean Salad is the perfect example. It has tons of color, flavor, texture, and nutrients, so it doesn’t get boring quickly. You can serve it as a side dish, eat it alone as a snack or in a larger portion as a light meal, or even stuff it into a wrap with some spinach for a quick lunch. Keeping this salad on hand gives you a lot of options!
Want more quinoa recipes? Check out my quinoa archives!
Smoky Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
P.S. I got my quinoa at Aldi, which was only $3.49 for a one pound bag (organic!). If you don’t have an Aldi near you, look for stores that have quinoa in bulk bins, which are often less expensive than pre-packaged. Also, my red and yellow bell peppers were on sale, but if you can totally use green bell peppers if you can’t find red or yellow for a decent price.
Smoky Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Servings 4 (about 1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa ($1.40)
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.52)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.59)
- 2 bell peppers (preferable red, yellow, or orange) ($1.98)
- 2 green onions ($0.25)
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa well using a wire mesh sieve to prevent the small granules from washing away. Allow the excess water to drain away and then place the rinsed quinoa in a sauce pot.
- Add 1.75 cups water to the sauce pot with the quinoa, place a lid on top, and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 5 minutes, without removing the lid. Finally, fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool (I placed mine in the refrigerator for faster cooling).
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- Rinse and drain the black beans. Dice the bell peppers, and slice the green onions.
- Combine the beans, bell peppers, green onions, and cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top, and stir until everything is evenly mixed and coated in dressing. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Make sure to stir the salad well before serving.
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Equipment
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
It’s really important to rinse quinoa before you cook it because quinoa has a natural substance on its surface that can taste bitter. Because quinoa is so small, you’ll probably need a wire mesh sieve for this job. If anyone has any other techniques that don’t use a sieve, feel free to share them in the comments! :)
Once rinsed, place the quinoa in a pot. The directions on the package say to use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, but the quinoa already has some water in it from being rinsed, and using slightly less than a 2:1 ratio helps make sure the quinoa is nice and fluffy instead of sticky and mushy. So, I used 1.75 cups water to my 1 cup quinoa. (picture is before adding the water)
Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest (with the lid still in place) for five more minutes. Finally, remove the lid and fluff it with a fork. Let the quinoa cool (I put mine in the fridge to help it cool faster).
While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of black beans. Dice two bell peppers (preferably red, yellow, or orange), and slice two green onions. Place the black beans, bell peppers, and green onions in a large bowl.
Add the cooled quinoa to the bowl with the beans and vegetables and pour the prepared dressing over top.
Stir until everything is evenly mixed and coated in dressing. Taste the salad and adjust the salt if needed. Serve the Smoky Quinoa and Black Bean Salad immediately, or refrigerate until you’re ready to eat. If stored for later, make sure to give it a stir before serving.
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I made this tonight. This is so nice and light. Love it! Thanks for the recipe.
Great tip on buying quinoa in bulk, I always feel like I’m getting ripped off when buying a bag from my local grocery store! This salad looks delicious and would make the perfect lunch for me!
Aldi may be the best thing to ever happen to BB! Enjoy, it’s my favorite!
I use a coffee filter in my colander when I rinse quinoa. It is not a perfect method but it works in a pinch.
Great idea!
Thank you for sharing that!!!! :-)
Hi Beth, hope you’re enjoying Nashville!
Definitely try the restaurant Taco Mamacita – it might give you some ideas!
Beth, what’s the Instagram account to see your grocery store adventures?
I’ve also heard of people using a French press to strain Quinoa but haven’t tried it yet myself.
@budgetbytes :)
Is this to be stored/eaten cold? Room temp? I’d love to meal-prep a large quantity of this but reheating bell peppers and green onions in a microwave takes out the crunch factor.
I ate mine cold. :)
I always have a ton of black beans in my fridge and I love quinoa, so this looks like a great new way to use both, thanks!
OMG are you obsessed with Aldi?? Every time i go shopping at mine, I think of you!
Get yourself a bag of cheddar penguins (kinda like goldfish) they are my favorite. And sometimes they randomly have Kerrygold butter for super cheap.
Oh man, those cheddar crackers would be the death of me! I need to stay away from them! :D
WELCOME to Nashville! I knew it wouldn’t take you long to get to Aldi! :) My family has been here for 8 years.
This question might sound terrible, but do you find that the dressing and other ingredients are strong enough to sort of cover up the taste of the quinoa? I bought a bunch, and I don’t really like it plain, but I don’t want to waste it. Maybe I could increase the dressing too to make sure its nice and saucy lol
I think if you increased the dressing it would definitely cover it up. The way the fat molecules coat your tongue really helps hide the quinoa flavor. If that makes sense. :)
Try cooking the quinoa in vegetable or chicken broth instead of water! I found it makes it so much more flavorful. Totally agree that plain quinoa can be super bland sometimes! This was a great dish and super easy to throw together!
This looks so good! I always have almost all of these ingredients hanging around. However, my boyfriend doesn’t really like quinoa. What grain do you think would be the best substitute in this recipe? Something earthy like barley or something lighter like a couscous? Thanks! Your blog is my favorite, by the way
Definitely something lighter like couscous or rice. :)
You are speaking my language! I have a cabinet full of quinoa that I need to use up, so this would be perfect!
I don’t have a wire mesh strainer, only a wide-slotted plastic one. The slots are wide enough that the quinoa would fall straight through, so I line it with a coffee filter.
Yum! Will definitely try this for my lunches.