Three bean taco salad
This Three bean taco salad is a quick, protein‑packed meal loaded with fresh veggies, bold Tex‑Mex flavor, and a zesty dressing. It comes together in minutes and makes the perfect easy lunch, weeknight dinner, or potluck side. This dish is my go-to to bring to a cookout or picnic.
This recipe was inspired by a recipe for ground beef taco salad. However I have never cared for the cold taco meat in that salad, so I decided to use the bean component as a salad on its own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to assemble
- Perfect as a side dish for a cookout or picnic
- healthy, vegetarian dish with option of adding a protein such as poached chicken breast
What Makes This Three bean taco salad so Flavorful
- taco seasoning
- Colby jack cheese (cheese makes everything better)
- Catalina salad dressing
Ingredients You’ll Need for this recipe
- Canned beans
- Colby jack cheese
- Catalina dressing
- Green onions
- Diced bell papper
- Green Onion
How to Make Three bean taco salad Step‑by‑Step
- Prep cheese and vegetables
Dice the bell pepper, tomatoes, and Colby jack cheese into 1/2 inch pieces; slice green onions crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces. - Prep the beans
Drain and rinse canned beans. - Combine ingredients
Mix beans, peppers, tomatoes, green onion in large bowl. - Add spice blend
Add taco seasoning to ingredients in bowl. - Add dressing
Toss ingredients with Catalina dressing to coat. - Refrigerate
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
- chop the cheese, tomatoes and peppers all the same size
- remove seeds from the tomatoes and dice the flesh, plum tomatoes are best in this recipe
Variations and Substitutions
- use whatever type of bean you like but a mix of different beans makes the most colorful and appetizing salad
- serve with shredded chicken breast for a complete meal
- Add some pickled jalapenos for more heat
How to Store Three bean taco salad
- This dish will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator
Serving Suggestions
- serve as a dip with tortilla chips
- serve as a side dish to grilled chicken, burgers, ribs…
FAQ About Making Three bean taco salad
- Can I prepare the dish ahead of time? This is a perfect side dish to make ahead of time and have stashed in the refrigerator.
Three Bean Taco Salad
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield6-8 1x
This Three Bean Taco Salad is a quick, protein‑packed meal loaded with fresh veggies, bold Tex‑Mex flavor, and a zesty dressing. It comes together in minutes and makes the perfect easy lunch, weeknight dinner, or potluck side. This dish is my go-to to bring to a cookout or picnic.
Ingredients
- 1 15.5-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15.5- ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15.5- ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 8 ounces Colby jack cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeds removed, flesh cut into ½ inch dice
- 3 green onions, green part sliced crosswise into ¼ inch rounds
- ½ tsp. taco seasoning
- 1 16-ounce bottle Kraft Catalina fat-free salad dressing
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the canned beans, let sit for 10 minutes.
- Dice the pepper, cut into ½ inch dice. Place in large bowl.
- Slice tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and pulp, cut into ½ inch dice, add to bowl.
- Cut Colby jack cheese into 1/2 cubes, add to bowl,
- Cut green part of green onions into ¼ rounds and add to bowl.
- Add drained beans and taco seasoning to bowl and toss ingredients together.
- Add as much Catalina dressing as needed until all ingredients are well coated.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: no cooking required
- Category: Dinner, Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
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