Black Bean Salad

This Black Bean Salad is similar to a dish called 'cowboy caviar.' If you've never had that, it's canned beans in a vinaigrette loaded with flavor. The dressing has olive oil, oregano, green onions, and canned tomatoes with green chiles. This vinaigrette is so good on black beans!

This black bean salad is a riff on a recipe called 'cowboy caviar.' It's essentially a very chunky bean salsa with an incredibly delicious vinaigrette. It's loaded with beans, veggies, and has an oregano dressing that includes a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles.

You can scoop this black bean salad up with chips, or just eat it fresh with a spoon. I like it over chilled rice as a light and hearty lunch that just so happens to be vegan. This is the type of vegan food that you don't even notice is all vegetables because it is BURSTING with flavor.

You can absolutely use black eyed peas in place of the black beans here, and serve it with tortilla chips at a party, too! It's great alongside by Black Bean Dip.

How to Make Black Bean Salad

This recipe is so simple! You just need a few canned items: two cans of black beans and a can of Ro-tel, which is tomatoes canned with green chiles. Then, raid your pantry for basic vinaigrette ingredients: olive oil, limes, Tabasco, jalapeños, Worcestershire, garlic and oregano. The flavors here are similar to Cowboy Caviar.

I have to say: fresh oregano is INCREDIBLE here. It really makes the dish, but you can use dried instead. Fresh green onions (also called scallions), cilantro, and a yellow bell pepper diced very small provides so much crunch and flavor.

The Ingredients

• Olive Oil. We're eating this salad raw, so a delicious extra virgin olive oil that you normally use for salad dressing is preferred.
• Limes. Fresh lime juice is always better than bottled.
• Tabasco Hot Sauce. You can sub any vinegar-based hot sauce here. I recommend including it even if you don't like super spicy things, because the vinegar balances everything out.
• Worcestershire Sauce. Secret umami flavor here! If you want this recipe to be vegan, be sure to buy one labeled vegan.
• Garlic. Three cloves of fresh garlic, minced.
• Oregano. Fresh oregano sings in this dish so much! One full tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoon dried.
• Black Beans. Two cans of black beans, drained and rinsed.
• Scallions. Also called green onions. You need 5.
• Cilantro.
• Jalapeños. If you don't like spicy food, you can leave these out. Or, you can include them, but scrape out all of the seeds and inner white membranes before dicing and using. Be sure to wear gloves when handling jalapeños, especially if you wear contacts!
• Canned Tomatoes with Green Chiles. One 10-ounce can of Ro-Tel--it can be mild or spicy, your choice! Do not drain the tomatoes--the juices flavor the whole salad.
• Yellow Bell Pepper. For supreme crunchiness in our salad.

The Directions

1. Gather all ingredients, and have a serving bowl ready.

2. Combine the olive oil, lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in the bottom of the large serving bowl. Whisk this very well to combine.

3. Add the beans, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, finely diced jalapeños, canned tomatoes with all of the juices, and diced bell pepper on top.

4. Stir everything to combine.

If you're looking for another bean salad, don't miss my Three Bean Salad. There are so many ways to enjoy beans in a tangy vinaigrette!

This recipe doesn't contain any corn; instead, it relies on bell pepper for sweetness and crunch. If you want one with corn, try my Black Bean and Corn Salsa.

1. It's great served plain, with a spoon and some soft tortillas on the side.
2. Serve it with crispy tortilla chips, especially the ones that are able to scoop up chunky dips.
3. Scoop it over chilled rice and toss for a healthy, bright bean and rice salad for a light lunch.
4. Place a thin layer on a large flour tortilla, top with shredded cheese and another tortilla to make a delicious bean and cheese quesadilla.
5. Serve as a side dish with Vegetarian Enchiladas.