30 Minute Southwest Quinoa Salad

This Southwest Quinoa Salad bursts with color, texture and flavor too! The combination of the quinoa, beans, corn, peppers and spinach not only makes for something pretty, but also gives a ton of nutrition. What really brings in the wow-factor though is that sauce. It just really ties things together and adds in so much flavor. I’m at quite a loss of words here. 

So I’ve been a tiny bit obsessed with quinoa salad bowls recently, and probably made this one twice over the course of 3 days. It really is pretty darn good. Now before you scroll on by because you saw the word “salad” in the recipe title, just try it out. 

As if the good carbs and protein from the quinoa weren’t enough, its also got black beans serving the same purpose. Then there’s all those fresh veggies each with some benefit or the other. Now for the best part: a taco-spice seasoned sauce that has a base of – wait for it – Greek Yogurt. Yes, no fatty salad dressing here, just a delicious nutritious bowl. Healthy eating at its very best!

Whether you’re looking for a quick dinner or a meal-prep option, this recipe will save the day. Just cook a boat-load of quinoa in advance and keep it in the freezer for whenever you might want to make this. Then all you really need is 5 minutes to get this out. Quite literally a throw-together meal.

30 Minute Southwest Quinoa Salad

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 3 cups

Calories: 132kcal

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American, Mexican

This Southwest Quinoa Salad bursts with color, texture and flavor too! The combination of the quinoa, beans, corn, peppers and spinach not only makes for something pretty, but also gives a ton of nutrition.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup White Quinoa, 60g or 1 cup cooked: 185g
• ⅓ cup Black Beans, Canned (87g) or Cooked from dry (25g)
• ⅓ cup Corn Kernels, Frozen/Canned/Roasted, 45g
• 6 strips Red Bell Pepper, Sliced, 18g
• 1½ cups Spinach, Chopped, 45g
• 2 Tbsp Onion, Chopped, 20g
• ½ Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
• 1½ tsp Jalapeño Peppers, Chopped, Optional, 6g

Sauce:

• ¼ cup Greek Yogurt, 50g
• ¾ tsp Lemon Juice
• ¼ tsp Chili Powder
• ¼ tsp Cumin Powder
• ¼ tsp Dried Oregano
• ¼ tsp Paprika
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• ⅛ tsp Garlic Powder
• ⅛ tsp Onion Powder

Instructions

• Rinse quinoa thoroughly in cold water (this is required to avoid any bitter taste).
• Bring ⅔ cup water and quinoa to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and mix.
• Toss quinoa, veggies and sauce in a large bowl.
• Top with sliced avocado or guac and serve warm or cold.

Notes

Nutrition:

• Servings: 3 cups | Serving size: 3 cups
• Calories: 411kcal
• Fat: 4.9g | Saturated fat: 0.1g
• Carbohydrates: 72.3g | Fiber: 13.3g | Sugar: 6.1g
• Protein: 21.9g