Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Salad
This Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Salad is a fresh, flavor-packed side dish that’s perfect for potlucks, cookouts, and easy summer dinners. Tossed in a zesty homemade dressing, it’s make-ahead friendly and always a crowd favorite.
Servings: 12
Calories: 226kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked long grain white rice like Jasmine rice (see notes below)
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Rest
- 16 ounce can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen yellow corn thawed and drained
- 1 small red bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Notes
Rice: I usually use Ben’s Original Ready Rice Basmati as a shortcut. One family-size pouch (17.6 ounces) yields closer to 3½ cups, but the recipe works well with the full pouch if you'd rather not measure. You can also use 2 regular pouches (8.8 ounces each) or about 3 cups cooked long grain white rice prepared from scratch.
Refrigerate: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for no more than 3 to 4 days. Since cooked rice has a shorter refrigerated shelf life than many other ingredients, I don't recommend keeping it any longer.
Stir before serving: The rice will continue to absorb some of the dressing as it chills. Give the salad a good stir before serving and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice if you'd like to brighten it up.
For serving: If serving this salad at a cookout or potluck, avoid leaving it at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour in very hot weather) before refrigerating leftovers.
Make ahead: This is a great make-ahead salad because the flavors improve after a few hours in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg