The most satisfying bowl I've ever made for dinner! This Vegan Taco Salad has plenty of taco spice, crunchy vegetables, a simple 2-ingredient salsa dressing, and crunchy tortilla chips. It's one of those meals that you hardly notice is vegan.
As someone who lives to cook and eat, I don't often ask for dinner ideas in my house. I'm brimming with ideas and nearly always hungry. But, when I do, this easy vegan taco salad recipe with black beans is the first suggestion.
Everyone loves the creamy salsa dressing (made with just two ingredients: salsa and vegan mayo!), and the crunchy of the tortilla chips on top really seals the deal. You'll appreciate the protein in the black beans, which is yet another way to use my instant pot black beans.
This can be a pantry meal, if you keep black beans on your pantry at all times, which you probably do if you're a regular reader of this site! And, if you always keep corn in your freezer like I do, too. Beyond that, all you need is a jar of your family's favorite salsa, some tortilla chips (the bottom of the bag is perfect here!), taco seasoning, and some vegan mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- Black Beans. One 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed. This is about 1 ¾ cup of cooked beans.
- Taco Seasoning. You can use the pre-made packet from the store, or use the spices leftover from my chickpea salad recipe.
- Olive Oil. We're using a small amount of olive oil to cook the black beans with the taco seasoning. You can omit this and use water if you're trying to cut calories.
- Lettuce. My favorite lettuce for this vegan taco salad is one small head of fresh romaine. You can use a bag of pre-chopped romaine, if you like, but a fresh head is so much crispier, in my opinion.
- Corn. We need one cup of corn, either defrosted from frozen or from the can.
- Tomatoes. One cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half is a great addition to this salad, but it's entirely optional.
- Avocado. Again, tiny diced avocado is delicious here, but it is optional. If your people love it, it adds a great creaminess to the salad, but if they don't, feel free to omit.
- Tortilla Chips. Two big handfuls of tortilla chips that you crush in your hands and sprinkle on top of the salad before serving is the best part of this vegan taco salad!
- Mayonnaise. To keep this recipe vegan, grab a jar of vegan mayonnaise. If you don't care about this, regular mayo is totally fine here.
- Salsa. Your chance to customize this recipe is by using your favorite salsa. I reach for a spicy red salsa, but green tomatillo salsa is great, too. If you have any leftover from my instant pot black bean chili, this is a great place to use it.
How to Make Vegan Taco Salad
In a small saucepan, combine the drained black beans with the taco seasoning and olive oil. Heat over medium-low heat until simmering. Remove from heat and place in smaller bowl to cool off.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing (the mayo and salsa).
Place the dressing to the side while you assemble the rest of the easy taco salad.
Chop the romaine lettuce, and then rinse and dry it. Place it in a serving bowl, add the corn, chopped tomatoes and avocado.
Use your hands to crush the tortilla chips right into the serving bowl. It's important to only do this right before serving, because the chips can become soggy over time.
Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss again. Serve immediately.
If you take nothing else from this recipe and do not even make the salad, please remember the taco salad dressing recipe! By simply combining your favorite salsa and mayonnaise. My recipe specifically calls for ⅓ cup of mayo and ¼ cup of salsa, but you can scale it up, as needed.
Other vegan dinner ideas:
-Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
-Vegetarian Chili (Slow Cooker)
Vegan Taco Salad
An easy vegan taco salad with a 2-ingredient salsa dressing and crunchy tortilla chips on top!
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the drained black beans with the taco seasoning and olive oil. Heat over medium-low heat until simmering. Remove from heat and place in smaller bowl to cool off.
- Chop your romaine lettuce and place it in a big serving bowl.
- Add the corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado pieces and black beans to the salad bowl. Toss just to combine.
- Using your hands, crush the tortilla chips directly into the salad bowl. Toss again.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing (the mayo and salsa). Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss again. Serve immediately.
Notes
Taco Seasoning: You can buy this pre-made in a packet. You won't be using all of the packet, so save it for another time.
Olive Oil: If you're limiting calories, omit the olive oil and use water instead.
Lettuce: I really prefer to chop my own romaine lettuce directly from the head because it's crispier. However, you can use a bag of pre-chopped lettuce. My favorite lettuce for this vegan taco salad is one small head of fresh romaine. You can use a 9 or 10-ounce bag of pre-chopped romaine.
Salsa: Your chance to customize this recipe is by using your favorite salsa. I reach for a spicy red salsa, but green tomatillo salsa is great, too. If you have any leftover from my instant pot black bean chili, this is a great place to use it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 552Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 396mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 19gSugar: 7gProtein: 16g
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