Black Bean and Rice Salad

Whether starting from scratch or using leftovers, Black Bean and Rice Salad is a tasty way to get some extra fresh vegetables in a filling, fiber-rich side dish. It’s also my go-to for using up peppers that have been in my fridge long enough. A time-saving trick is to cook extra rice when making rice for another meal. Just stash a cup of cooked rice into a storage container and pull it out to use in this salad. It’ll come together in just a few minutes!

The past few years, I got into the habit of making this dressing without using the recipe. A few shakes of chili powder and cumin, substituting a smaller splash of lemon juice if I didn’t have orange juice on hand…it works. When I fine-tuned the recipe today prior to publishing it, my husband noticed that the salad is a lot darker than usual. I guess I haven’t been using the full amounts of spice, so this time around it has depth of flavor. I have a renewed interest in actually following the recipe!

Black Bean and Rice Salad Options

Quinoa makes a great substitute for the rice in this salad. Just swap it out with no other changes. As I mentioned above, if OJ isn’t in your fridge, don’t despair – I have made this many times without it. I usually add lemon juice and just increase the red wine vinegar, so that between those two ingredients I am using a total of 3 Tablespoons.

Serve this alongside build-your-own burritos, or a hot Mexican casserole like Smothered Burrito Bake or enchiladas. It’s also a good lunch with a few crackers or a tortilla, or even a quickly-cooked quesadilla.

Black Bean and Rice Salad

great side dish to go with Mexican food

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Prep Time 30 mins

Total Time 26 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

Salad Ingredients

• 1 c rice or quinoa, previously cooked
• 1 can black beans 15 oz
• 1/2 each red bell pepper diced
• 1/2 each yellow bell bepper diced
• 1/2 each green bell pepper diced

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 T orange juice
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 2 t cumin
• 1 t chili powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

• Use leftover rice or cook rice at the beginning of preparation, then allow it to cool slightly before adding to rest of ingredients. Use 1 cup of cooked rice, which you can get by cooking 1/2 c rice in 3/4 c water.
• Drain black beans and combine with diced peppers.
• Add rice when cooled.
• Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad ingredients.
• Toss, chill, and serve

from My Sis, Pam
April 2007

Updated recipe 2/28/2021