Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing and Cotija Cheese

5 from 3 votes

Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing and Cotija Cheese

This Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing and Cotija Cheese is healthy, fresh and delicious and studded with good for you veggies! It's nice and light and perfect for spring!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Cotija cheese, quinoa, summer, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Mary Ann Dwyer

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup white quinoa, rinsed (I use Bob's Red Mill)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup orange pepper, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup fresh corn, about 2 ears, cooked and cut from the cob
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
1 cup cotija cheese, crumbled

Dressing

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

In a 2 quart saucepan, bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Add quinoa and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, black beans, orange pepper, tomatoes, corn and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with the cotija cheese.

Notes

I used black beans for this recipe, but you could substitute pinto beans if you'd prefer.

This salad if nice and light. I think the amount of dressing is spot on, but if you like more dressing you can always double the recipe for the dressing.

I would not omit the Cotija cheese in this recipe. If you've never tried it, it's super delicious. It's crumbly and salty and goes perfectly with this salad.

Nutrition