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.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to rate it in the recipe card and let me know how it went in the comments below. Your ratings and feedback help others find and trust my recipes, and they mean so much to me as a food creator. Thanks for cooking along!
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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
