Cowboy Caviar Bean Salad (Printable)
Colorful bean and vegetable salad tossed in a zesty lime-cumin dressing, perfect for potlucks and gatherings.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beans and Pulses
01 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned, or thawed frozen)
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
08 - 1/2 red onion, finely diced
09 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
→ Dressing
10 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
11 - 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
12 - 1 clove garlic, minced
13 - 1 tsp ground cumin
14 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
15 - 1/2 tsp salt
16 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
17 - Juice of 1 lime
# Step-by-step:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans, black-eyed peas, corn kernels, diced red and green bell peppers, finely chopped jalapeño, quartered cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, and chopped cilantro.
02 - In a separate small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and fresh lime juice until well blended.
03 - Pour the prepared dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture. Gently toss everything together until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - Taste the mixture and adjust the salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed to suit your preference.
05 - Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
06 - Serve chilled with tortilla chips as a dip, or spoon over greens as a salad. Also works great as a taco filling.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Zero cooking required, which means your kitchen stays cool and you stay sane on hot days when the oven feels like an enemy.
- The colors alone will make people think you spent hours, but honestly the hardest part is opening cans and chopping a few things.
- It tastes even better the next day, so you can make it ahead and actually enjoy your own party instead of cooking through it.
02 -
- Do not skip the chill time because the transformation that happens in those thirty minutes is the difference between a decent salad and one people will not stop eating.
- I once used a whole jalapeno with seeds for a group that included my mother, who still brings it up every holiday, so know your audience before you commit to that level of heat.
03 -
- Drain and rinse your beans thoroughly under cold running water until the foam disappears because that canned liquid will make everything taste tinny and dull.
- Dice all your vegetables about the same size as a kernel of corn so every bite feels balanced and no single ingredient hogs the spotlight.