This flavorful Southwest Quinoa Salad is a quick and nutritious meal-perfect to meal prep ahead of time for lunch or dinner. This colorful salad combines pantry ingredients like canned tomatoes and beans alongside fresh chopped veggies and fluffy quinoa. Plus, you get to add any toppings of your choice!
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Pacific Coast Producers. All opinions are my own; I never feature a brand that I don't love!
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What is quinoa salad?
Quinoa salad is a healthy dish consisting of a base of fresh cooked quinoa topped with a variety of nourishing ingredients and some type of vinaigrette or sauce. There's tons of different flavor variations like sesame ginger, mediterranean, or southwest.
Quinoa is a great source of protein alongside fiber, magnesium, and potassium.
Can I use another grain other than quinoa?
We've also tested this recipe using rolled oats for a savory oats variation! In this case, you can substitute the 1 cup raw quinoa for 1 cup raw rolled oats. You could also try swapping for other grains like farro, brown rice, or barley.
Are canned foods healthy?
Canned fruits and vegetables are affordable, sustainable, and nutrient-dense. Canned produce if often thought to be less healthy, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. Canned fruits and vegetables are actually canned at peak ripeness to lock in the flavor and nutrients. This means canned produce has the same or higher amounts of nutrients as fresh or frozen produce.
For this recipe, canned tomatoes are a star ingredient. Not only are they super convenient with no cutting needed-they're also packed with vitamins and minerals. Canned tomatoes are filled with vitamins A and C, which are important for maintaining healthy skin, eyes, and immune system. They're also rich in a type of antioxidant called lycopene. In fact, 1 cup of canned tomatoes has 6641 mcg of lycopene compared to 4630 mcg in 1 cup of fresh tomatoes.
For this recipe we are using a 15-ounce can of tomatoes, but feel free to use a 28-ounce can if you like a more tomato-forward salad. You could also swap regular diced canned tomatoes for fire roasted tomatoes which have a smokey, caramelized flavor.
How do you make Southwest Quinoa Salad?
This healthy Southwest Quinoa Salad is a delicious and healthy meal that's perfect for lunch or dinner. It's also super easy to make and comes together in no time.
1. Cook the quinoa
We like to make fresh quinoa but you can skip this step and buy store bought cooked quinoa packets. We recommend grabbing about 2 packets to have enough quinoa.
If you're trying to prep things ahead of time, we like to cook the quinoa, cool, and store in the fridge until ready to make the rest of the salad.
Here are some helpful tips and tricks when cooking quinoa
- Rinse the quinoa: Rinsing in a fine mesh strainer removes the naturally occurring coating called saponin, which can make the quinoa taste bitter.
- Cook with the right ratio of liquid: We like to use about 1 ¾ cups of liquid for 1 cup of quinoa. This helps the quinoa cook evenly without becoming mushy.
- Cook the quinoa covered: After bringing the quinoa and liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. This will help the quinoa absorb the liquid and get nice and fluffy. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking, as this can release steam and slow down the cooking process.
2. Add your other ingredients
Once the quinoa is cooked and chilled, you'll add your other ingredients. If you're in a pinch and don't have fresh cilantro, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of dried cilantro. Leave out the avocado until the end to avoid smashing it.
3. Drizzle over dressing
For this vinaigrette, we are combining bold flavors like tangy lime juice and southwest seasonings like cumin and chili powder. The cilantro adds a nice freshness to the salad, but you can swap for dried cilantro if needed.
We recommend blending for a creamier consistency, but you can also just give it a good stir before pouring over.
If you don't feel like making homemade dressing, you can also purchase a cilantro lime dressing in store.
4. Add any toppings of your choice
Like all of my other recipes, this southwestern quinoa salad is completely customizable. You get to choose any toppings you want to use. This is a great way to use up any ingredients on hand.
- Protein additions like cooked chicken, shrimp, roasted chickpeas, or crispy tofu
- Cheese like crumbled feta, goat cheese, queso fresco, or shredded mexican cheese
- Fresh diced mango
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Roasted sweet potato cubes
- Chopped romaine lettuce or kale
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
Can I make it ahead of time?
Feel free to make this recipe ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to eat.
This makes it a great dish to prep for a busy weeknight meal. It's also perfect to bring to potlucks and parties to add a colorful, healthy meal into the mix.
Need more help with recipes for your busy schedule?
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Southwest Quinoa Salad
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Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry quinoa, pre-rinsed (about 4 cups cooked)
- 1 ¾ cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes liquid drained in a colander
- 1 - 15 ounce can canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 orange pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ small red onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup canned corn or thawed frozen corn
- 1 large avocado, diced
Dressing Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons lime juice, 2 small limes
- 4 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Toppings of your choice:
- Protein additions of your choice (such as cooked chicken, shrimp, roasted chickpeas, or crispy tofu)
- Cheese of your choice (such as crumbled feta, goat cheese, queso fresco, or shredded mexican cheese)
- Fresh diced mango
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Roasted sweet potato cubes
- Chopped romaine lettuce or kale
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
Instructions
- Add quinoa to a medium pot over medium-high heat. Let dry quinoa toast for 2-3 minutes, then pour over water or broth. Let liquid come to a boil, then reduce to low heat and put the lid on. Let simmer for 15 minutes until fluffy and cooked through. Once the quinoa is cooked: remove it from the heat, transfer to a large bowl, and let cool completely.*
- To the same large bowl, add tomatoes, black beans, diced pepper, red onion, cilantro, corn, and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl or food processor, whisk together lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, honey, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over quinoa salad and gently stir to incorporate the dressing throughout the quinoa.
- Gently fold in diced avocado at the end.
- Then in true Cheerful Choices manner… serve with any optional toppings of your choice to give it your own flare!
- You can store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Want more? Try these other canned tomato recipes
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