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!
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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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Your quinoa salads are my fave when I know I should meal prep something healthy but I’m feeling super lazy. I put the quinoa in a rice cooker, chop like two veggies, open a can, stir together an easy dressing, et voila.
Thanks!
Underwhelming. It’s missing something. Like previous commenters said, the addition of corn for something sweet, or swapping the ACV for balsamic might do the trick. This also makes way more than I was expecting (I made it as a side dish, not a main—whoops).
I had to sub couscous for quinoa for this recipe but we probably won’t make it again.
It’s bland and oily. It took several shakes of Tony Chachere’s to make it flavorful. I’d suggest less oil (halve it) and double your spices. Minced garlic and balsamic vinegar may give it some pep.
Do you eat it warm or cold?
You can actually eat it either way. :)
Turned out pretty good! I had everything on hand which was awesome & like never happens!
I never rinse quinoa because it doesn’t taste any different to me. I used red & orange peppers. Recipe makes enough dressing. I like to put hot sauce on stuff so I added that too. About 400 calories or so per serving which is great for lunches this week! Filling enough & took hardly any time to make with minimal dishes so this will most definitely stay in my rotation :)
I’m going to use this as stuffing for stuffed bell peppers! I’m planning on using orange and yellow in the recipe, and stuffing in a red pepper. Eat the rainbow :)
Sounds great. Do you know how long I can store in the fridge?
About 4-5 days. :)
I substituted one can of fire roasted tomatoes for the bell peppers and added one cup of corn as another user suggested. It’s amazing!
One of my favorite recipes by far. It is so easy to make and the only purchase I need to make are for two fresh bell peppers and the green onions. Which is Awesome for my pockets!
Made this and love it! Easy, quick, and it actually gets better the longer it sits! Now a go to meal prep option for my work lunches. It’s amazing how good it is for how simple, easy, and healthy it is.
I have a nearly identical recipe but for one key difference: balsamic vinegar. It’s to die for! Also, add corn and avocado. And cous cous makes a great sub for the quinoa if you need one.
Oouu how much balsamic vinegar?
Made this, its wonderful! put about 1/2 cup of feta cheese and it worked great.
My new favorite. Have already made it a couple more times. So delicious. Quickly and easy too!
So delicious, light, and fresh! I wasn’t particularly looking forward to dinner going into preparing this because I didn’t really know if I liked quinoa and am a bit “meh” on bell peppers, but still wanted to give it a try. And I am glad I did because now I can’t wait to have more! This would be a great potluck dish, I’ll definitely be adding it to my rotation.
This is my new food obsession. I keep a batch in my fridge pretty much continuously for a quick lunch or dinner (it’s even worked for breakfast food in a pinch)