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
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions and set it aside to cool a bit.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until well combined. Add the cooked and slightly cooled rice, beans, corn, bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro and toss to mix the salad with the dressing.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or more before serving to allow the ingredients to soak up flavor from the dressing.
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