Fiesta Mango Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Chili-Lime Dressing
By Mason Brooks
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Servings
6
Serve or bring Fiesta Mango Quinoa Salad to a picnic or other outdoor event. Ingredients in this salad include cooked quinoa, black beans, mango, corn, and other vegetables mixed with a chili-lime dressing. Fiesta Mango Quinoa Salad is a colorful and satisfying meal option.
Quinoa is cooked in vegetable broth until tender and the broth has mostly evaporated. Quinoa adds nutty flavor to the salad. Other ingredients in the salad are black beans and thawed corn for flavor and texture, and red bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, jalapeños, and mango for texture and color. The dressing includes olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
The quinoa is done when it is no longer moist; let it cool for a few minutes before mixing in other ingredients. Mix the dressing thoroughly and mix it with other salad ingredients so the mango and beans stay intact. Tip: Make sure any frozen corn is completely thawed before adding it to the salad to keep the quinoa from cooling before all ingredients are mixed.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold outdoors. This recipe pairs well with grilled seafood and chicken dishes and burgers. Serve as a complete lunch meal. Optional toppings include pumpkin seeds, avocado, green onions, and cilantro for extra freshness.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Good for potlucks and other outdoor events because of the variety of colorful foods, including quinoa, mangoes, beans, and corn, which can serve as a substantial side dish or lunch.
- Families are served common bean and corn dishes and offered jalapeno peppers to choose from.
- Some family members eat without jalapenos, while other family members add jalapenos to their food.
- Make-ahead lunches have other advantages, such as the ability to make salads up to three days ahead of time and add oil to salads that you perceive as dry.
- Guests can eat it hot, at room temperature, or cold to avoid serving issues with other foods, like grilled fish and chicken and hamburgers.
- The chili-lime dressing recipe includes five ingredients that dress all the other salad ingredients.
- The mango is sweetened with lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and olive oil.
- One batch yields six servings, One batch is sufficient to serve one main dish and a side dish to your other guests, who may not wish to eat meat.
Ingredients
- •1 cup dry quinoa
- •2 cups vegetable broth
- •1 15-oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- •1 cup frozen corn (thawed)
- •1 medium red bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
- •1 ripe mango (peeled and chopped)
- •½ cup red onion (finely chopped)
- •⅓ cup cilantro leaves (roughly chopped; extra optional for topping)
- •1 jalapeño pepper (optional; seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped)
- •pumpkin seeds (optional topping)
- •avocado (chunks, optional topping)
- •green onion (optional topping)
- •3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- •2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- •2 tsp. honey
- •2 tsp. chili powder
- •½ tsp. ground cumin
- •¾ tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan.
- 2
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the quinoa is fluffy and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- 3
Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and let it cool slightly.
- 4
Combine olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin, and salt in a small bowl; whisk until smooth and set aside.
- 5
Add black beans, corn, bell pepper, mango, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño to the bowl with quinoa; gently toss.
- 6
Pour in the dressing and toss to coat.
- 7
Adjust seasoning as needed, add optional toppings, and serve.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
330
Protein
16g
Fat
10g
Carbs
48g
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