This fresh black bean taco salad with cilantro-lime dressing is a classic family favorite. Fresh vegetables, savory black beans, and crunchy tortilla chips topped off with a zesty cilantro-lime dressing. We love to serve it in parts, making it the perfect meal for a crowd.
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I’ve found that one of the secrets to happy dinnertime with kids is giving them lots of options.
A casserole hardly ever works in our house because it’s just one option. And if they don’t like it (which is 99.99% of the time), you’ve got a mutiny on your hands. Weeping, wailing, the whole bit.
Rather than casseroles, my kids prefer meals they can pick and choose what to put on their plates. A meal in pieces, if you will.
This black bean taco salad is a family friendly recipe
And one great example, is this black bean taco salad.
Yes, this black bean taco salad has been making its’ regular appearance at our dinner table and at family gatherings for several years. We almost always serve all of the components of it separate and let everyone choose what to put on their plates. It’s the perfect meal for a family because it works for adults and kids alike.
If they want to eat their beans by themselves, they can. If the tomatoes are not allowed to touch the cheese, then that can happen. If the parents want to dump on zesty cilantro-lime dressing and the kids want to leave it off, that is a perfectly reasonable plan.
We do have a rule that everyone needs to try what is served on the table for dinner. Sometimes we make exceptions for things like dressings or other spicy or flavorful additions. But, as a rule, we encourage our kids to be venturous and try new foods even if they haven’t liked them in the past.
Meatless or not, it’s up to you
I love that this meal is meatless and still full of flavor. If you want to add meat, we often do and it is certainly yummy. Here are a few ideas:
- Sometimes we use the Chicken from these Crispy Chicken Tacos. It’s easily made in the electric pressure cooker.
- We often add this yummy sweet pork to give it the flare of a salad from Café Rio or Costa Vida (popular restaurants here in Utah). The pork is cooked in the slow cooker.
- I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking the beef from these amazing beef taquitos (also cooked in the slow cooker) would be another great choice for this salad. I would probably just add the seasoned beef (omitting the cheese and other ingredients that go into the taquitos).
- And of course there is plain old taco meat. Simple, I know, but it never gets old.
Now let’s talk ingredients
Plain black beans (rinsed from the can) work well in this dish. But we usually prefer these Mexican black beans that I posted the other day. These refried beans are another delicious variation (in place of the black beans) that we use often. This works especially well if you are serving the salad as a buffet where everyone adds their own. Topping everything on a tortilla is also very yummy.
If the salad will be served in pieces, warming up the rice, the beans and the meat is a great idea. Otherwise you better keep it at room temp so the lettuce doesn’t wilt and I’d probably stick with using rinsed black beans from a can.
We usually make a either this Creamy Lime Coconut Rice or this Mexican Rice for the salad. Both are great choices.
There are lots of vegetables, with more that could easily be added as variations. Making this salad so fresh and good, not to mention nutritious.
This blackened corn is kind of a recent addition and a huge fav. Have you ever tried blackening your corn? Oh my it is good. You can always use plain corn, but it’s not hard to blacken it and the yummy caramelized flavor is so good.
And finally, the zesty cilantro-lime dressing is delightfully packed with flavor that just brings the whole salad to life. We often make it with this homemade mayonnaise which just really takes it to a whole new level of amazing taste.
One great thing about it this recipe is that it can be gluten free for those of you that have someone with a gluten intolerance in your family. My Dad has celiac disease and we love to serve this at family gatherings because everyone can pick and choose what they want and my Dad can enjoy too.
This is the kind of salad that we return to again and again. Hope you enjoy it too.
Fresh Mexican Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
This fresh black bean taco salad with cilantro-lime dressing is a classic family favorite. Fresh vegetables, savory black beans, and crunchy tortilla chips topped off with a zesty cilantro-lime dressing. We love to serve it in parts, making it the perfect meal for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cups black beans see note
- 2 cups seasoned rice see note
- 2 large avocados diced
- fresh shredded cheddar or cheddar blend cheese as desired for sprinkling
- fresh cilantro sprigs as desired
- crumbled tortilla chips for serving
- fresh limes sliced into wedges, for serving
Cilantro-Lime Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise see note
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh minced or dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro or more, as desired
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
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In a medium saute pan over medium heat add the frozen corn. Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes until lightly blackened and caramelized. Cool.
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Prep all ingredients and separate into serving dishes for serving. Or alternately combine salad ingredients (except tortilla chips and lime wedges) in a large salad bowl.
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Add dressing ingredients to blender jar and blend until smooth. Dressing can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
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Serve salad topped with crushed tortilla chips and lime wedges with desired dressing, to taste.
Recipe Notes
1. For the black beans, you can either use black beans from a can, rinsed or drained or seasoned black beans. We especially like these Mexican Black Beans.
2. For the seasoned rice, we usually use this Mexican Rice or this Creamy Lime Coconut Rice.
3. We often make the dressing with this homemade mayonnaise which just really takes it to a whole new level of amazing taste.
4. Although this salad has enough flavor that it does not need meat, it is delicious with it. Here are some great options: use the chicken from these Crispy Chicken Tacos, this Mexican sweet pork, use the beef from these amazing beef taquitos, or even just plain taco meat!
5. This recipe works great for a crowd (doubled or tripled of course). We almost always serve this salad in pieces and let everyone put what they want on their plates. It works better for leftovers if everything is not already mixed together too.
6. These refried beans are another delicious variation (in place of the black beans) that we use often. This works especially well if you are serving the salad as a buffet where everyone adds their own. Topping everything on a tortilla is also very yummy.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text © The Cook’s Treat
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