Recipe

Quinoa Taco Salad

by goodlifeeats on January 24, 2010 in Main Dish Salads, Salads, Special Dietary Needs, Vegetarian

4.87 Mitt(s) 8 Rating(s)

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Recipe Description

Quinoa “Taco” Salad has all the flavor and protein of a regular taco salad, but is so much healthier. It tastes clean and rich with flavor. This version uses a mixture of baby spinach and cilantro as a substitute for iceberg lettuce, a common taco salad ingredient. Instead of corn tortilla chips, you have the nutty flavor and slightly crunchy texture of quinoa.

Preparation Instructions

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in the quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
1 whole Red Onion, Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ cups Red Bell Pepper, chopped
½ cups Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped
½ cups Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1-½ teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoons Oregano
1 teaspoon Chili Powder, Or More Depending On Heat Preference
1 dash Cayenne Pepper
15 ounces, weight Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
¾ cups Diced Tomatoes, Fresh Or Canned
2 whole Limes, Divided
Salt And Pepper, to taste
8 ounces, weight Baby Spinach
1 cup Cilantro
⅓ cups Cheddar Or Feta Cheese
1 whole Avocado, diced

17 Comments | Be the first to comment!

Comments

3alarmwife on 1.25.2010

I am so excited to make this. Both of my kids are vegetarians so I get so excited when I see new recipes that don’t just look like side dishes. Thanks MUCHO!

goodlifeeats on 1.25.2010

You are welcome!

nika on 1.25.2010

i love quinoa!! this is an exciting new way to eat it!! thank you so much for sharing this recipe. i also took a quick peek at your website… i can’t wait to check out more of your recipes!

everellie on 1.25.2010

I just put this in my recipe box. What a fantastic idea. Love the nutritious ingredients and flavor combos. Thanks for posting.

Annie Ritter on 1.26.2010

Cannot wait to try this! Thanks very much for posting.

sturgismama68 on 1.31.2010

Thanks for an easy, healthy, and gorgeous entree…My husband and I loved it!

tigli on 2.1.2010

I’m going to make this tonight for dinner! I have everything on hand except the quinoa, and I’ve been meaning to pick some up and give it a try… I’m a quinoa virgin…shhhh, don’t tell.

Thanks, this look wonderful, I’ll be sure to rate once I’ve tried it!

Candi on 2.10.2010

Had this tonight and made a few changes due to the blizzard happening outside. I didn’t have black beans, so used black eyed peas. Used all of my spinach last night for wilted spinach with lemon and pine nuts (YUM!), so used a reg. salad blend. Also, left out the cilantro due to personal taste.

It was awesome. My husband and I both loved it! Thanks so much for sharing!

dashoff on 2.21.2010

Delicious! I’ve just started eating quinoa, and this is a fantastic use for it. I thought it was a bit bland, so I gave a couple extra shakes of cayenne which kicked it up a notch. Used a bit of sour cream, because I didn’t have cheese, and it went perfectly.

missgreentea on 2.22.2010

This was a very yummy recipe. I liked the flavor combination’s and the quinoa made a great taco filler. This was a hit for me! My friend even enjoyed it who may have thought it was a little weird that I was making a taco salad minus the “taco meat”…hehe.

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Reviews

heymoonkid on 5.17.2010

This is one of my favorite new recipes! The flavor and texture are great and it’s so nutritious. Even my 3-year-old will eat it (as long as I top hers with plenty of cheese.) ;o)

One change I always make is instead of roughly cutting the spinach as shown in the photo, I pull off the stems (yuck) stack the leaves, roll, and slice just as you would chiffonade basil.

poshganache on 5.24.2010

This has quickly become a staple in our family dinners! I usually make these into tacos (using corn tortillas), and they are absolutely scrumptious.

irishjc820 on 6.27.2010

This was fantastic!! I made it exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing. Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

agoldberg on 7.7.2010

We made this last night (without the spinach) and it was a good side dish to the spicy black bean burgers we were having. We didn’t have tomatoes so we omitted those and added some fresh corn instead. It was great!

karebear47 on 9.18.2010

All of the flavors really came together in this dish in an amazing way! I loved it, and the avocados on top were just perfect.

cookoutsidethebox on 10.4.2010

I printed this recipe forever ago and FINALLY made it over the weekend. I wish I would have made it sooner. I made it exactly and it was sooo good. Way better than the quinoa salad they sell at Whole Foods.

luluwithers on 1.24.2011

great recipe.
made this as a side dish for fish tacos.
adjustments I made were: I subbed chipotle chile powder and added fresh corn. also subbed pico de gallo for the tomatoes (I had a big tub in the fridge).
next time i make this I am going to add diced mango to cut the heat a little.

sec1222 on 3.8.2011

My first time using quinoa! This has got to be one of the best tasting taco salads I’ve ever had. It was all we could to do not eat it all up in one night! The flavor was absolutely great. This will definitely be in on the regular rotation from now on.

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