Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Rice Salad
Meal prep friendly Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Rice Salad is a great WFH lunch option, side dish, or stuffing for homemade burritos! Flavored with fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, salsa, and cilantro, this recipe is super flavorful and delicious whether it's served warm or cold.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup dry brown rice
- 1/2 veggie stock cube (optional)
Add-Ins
- 1 cup corn Frozen or canned
- 1 cup black beans
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 medium tomato
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup finely chopped mixed nuts Plain, salted, or chiptole seasoned. See notes below
- 3/4 cup chunky salsa
- 3 pinches kosher salt
- 5-6 grinds fresh black pepper
Instructions
Cook the Rice
- Cook the rice according to the package directions. If desired, subsitute low sodium veggie broth instead of water while steaming or add 1/2 of a veggie stock cube to the water as the rice cooks.
Prep the Veggies
- While the rice cooks, chop the tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro and set aside.
- In a food processor - or you can do this by hand with a knife - finely chop the spinach until it resembles chopped parsely. Set that aside too and repeat this process with the mixed roasted nuts. Pulse until the nut mixture is finely chopped and resembles quinoa.
Mix
- Allow the rice to cool slightly, then fluff with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Serve
- Serve warm or cold with some extra salsa, sliced avocado, and a dollop of vegan sour cream on top. This is also delicious as a side dish or to use as the rice in a burrito or taco salad. Enjoy!
Notes
Mixed Nuts: This recipe works well with both plain roasted nuts or a seasoned version like Chipotle. If you're using plain roasted nuts you can add in 1/2 tsp of taco seasoning before pulsing in the food porcessor if desired, but I my favorite option is to use a chipotle or bbq seasoned snack mix because it adds so much flavor to this dish. I use the Choptole BBQ Paleo Snack Mix from Thrive Market for this and it's delicious!
If you're mixing the salad while the rice is still a little warm, it will absorb more of the salsa so you may want to add some more to taste or serve with extra salsa on the side. Remember, you'll want the rice to cool a bit before mixing in the remaining ingredients so that it doesn't wilt the spinach or herbs too much.