Quinoa and rice are combined with black beans, corn and peppers, then tossed with a spicy lime vinaigrette in this protein packed salad.
Quinoa is one of my favorites grains. It’s just so versatile, especially as the base this nutritious, protein packed Southwest Quinoa and Rice Salad.
After trying a similar salad from my local grocery store deli, I knew I could probably recreate it at home. I opted to use a mix of brown rice and quinoa, but you could definitely use all of one or the other.
Really, you could make this salad with any kind of similar grain, like cous cous. And of course, you could add some grilled or shredded chicken for a more hearty, protein packed dish.
This salad is also a great way to use up leftover veggies like bell peppers, herbs and onions. I always use black beans, corn, and bell peppers, but you could use almost any veggie in this salad.
My family loves Mexican Street Corn, so if I ever have leftovers, I love using it in this salad. The grilled corn adds so much amazing flavor!
This salad is loaded with Southwest flavors, but not too spicy. You could always replace the jalapeno with some chopped green onions if you prefer and even milder version.
And of course, if you like it really spicy, add extra red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
This salad will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator (sometimes even longer) so I love mixing it up for lunches at the beginning of the week.
It’s also great if you want to take a healthy lunch to work, or just want a light dinner. And this salad is always popular at potlucks and backyard barbecues.
This Southwest Quinoa and Rice Salad is one of my favorites. Loaded with healthy ingredients and so easy to mix up, this is a recipe I’ve been making for years, and plan to make for many more.
Be sure to save this Southwest Quinoa and Rice Salad recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Southwest Quinoa and Rice Salad
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Black beans
- Frozen corn
- Produce: bell peppers, red onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, limes
- Spices: red pepper flakes, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Southwest Rice and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Juice of one lime
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the salad in a medium bowl and toss together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix well.
- Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
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Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: This is an original recipe.
12 comments
Heather
I’ve made this several times before but now, This recipe seems to be missing all the dressing ingredients and amount of quinoa?
Sharilyn Sorenson
Your original recipe had red wine vinegar and I don’t see it any longer. Did you change that on purpose?
Danelle
It’s actually still there. I recently change my recipe card and the formatting messed up in some spots. I need to go in and fix it by hand, but the red wine vinegar is currently in all caps on the same line as the “dressing” header. 1/4 cup.
Connie
Danelle,
For some reason the recipe isn’t showing. I love making this salad and plan on making it for a baby shower tomorrow, but I can’t get the recipe to show up using both my phone and computer. Can you please help? Thanks!
Danelle
So glad you liked it L. 🙂
L
I made this for dinner tonight. It was fantastic- the right amount of flavor and heat. I only cooked 1 1/4 cups of quinoa because that is all I had I hand and I used the whole pepper. It seemed to be a good ratio of sauce:veggies:quinoa.
A great recipe for summer!
likeschocolate
yummy! I will have to make this the next time I have the girls over. There is no way my boys would eat this, but I could live off this kind of food.
avocadopesto
Looks great! I’ve made a similar dish – without the red pepper and using less spices but I want to try yours!
bee tee
Looks good! I’ll have to try this one day….
Priya Yallapantula
I am so going to try this, love the recipe and dressing.
Erika Layne
I’ve been looking for a good southwest quinoa recipe lately!! I’m excited to try this!
Elizabeth
I LOVE quinoa!