What are some variations of or substitutions in Fiesta Salad?

This salad can easily be tweaked with what you have on hand or what you like. Other ingredients that can be used or swapped in: quinoa, cooked lentils, store-bought pico de gallo, Cotija cheese or feta cheese, grilled and chopped chicken, other kinds of beans.

Is this salad served warm or cold?

Fiesta Salad is best served cold with chips or crackers personally. However, this could be really tasty warmed up and served over Cilantro Lime Rice with some Cilantro Lime Aioli drizzled over the top. Why not add in some chopped Cilantro Lime Chicken while you're at it? Yum!

As written, this recipe is not very spicy. So feel free to kick up the heat with some hot sauce, extra minced jalapeño peppers, or ground cayenne pepper.

Fiesta Salad (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free!)

Name: Fiesta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced; 1/2 red onion, minced; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1 can corn, drained (or use 1 cup of fresh corn cut off the cob); 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed; 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced (sub: fresh parsley); zest of 1 lime; juice of 2 limes; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (sub: avocado oil); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; hot sauce, to taste (optional); 1-2 avocados, diced (optional)

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews

Fiesta Salad

This fresh, delicious, and super healthy bean salad (or is it salsa?) works as a light lunch, side dish, appetizer, or snack anytime. Make this on the weekend and eat on it throughout the week. Eat on its own or scoop it with tortilla chips or crackers.

Yield: 10-12 servings 1x

Prep: 15 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 45 minutes

Units:

Scale:

Ingredients

Salad:

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 can corn, drained (or use 1 cup of fresh corn cut off the cob)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced (sub: fresh parsley)

Dressing:

zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (sub: avocado oil)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Optional Add-Ins:

hot sauce, to taste (optional)
1–2 avocados, diced (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Stir together the the peppers, onion, tomatoes, corn, beans, and cilantro in a large serving bowl.
In a mason jar with a lid, add the lime zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Shake until combined.
Pour 3/4th of the dressing over the salad and stir, reserving the rest for later if needed. Cover the salad and extra dressing and store in the fridge until ready to use, up to a day in advance. Let the chopped salad marinate for at least 20-30 minutes ahead of time before serving to give the flavors a chance to marry together.
Right before serving, stir in the avocado (so it doesn’t get brown and mushy ahead of time). Taste and season with more salt, pepper, hot sauce, and dressing as needed.

Notes/Tips

Be sure to chop everything rather small and uniformly, so it all fits on a chip easily.
Cover and store in the fridge for about 3 days or so.
Serve with tortilla chips or sturdy crackers.
This recipe makes a LARGE batch. Feel free to cut it in half or store extras for days in the fridge.

Cuisine: Tex-Mex Method: Mixing

Find it online: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/chopped-fiesta-salad-gluten-and-dairy-free/