Cowboy Salad Recipe

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Easy and tasty summer salads don’t get much better than this Mexican-inspired Cowboy Salad. It’s loaded with protein from black beans, a little kick from jalapeno, and tossed in a sweet tangy dressing that makes every summer cookout more exciting.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

1 can black eyed beans 15 ounces
1 can black beans 15 ounces
1 ½ cups corn frozen or cut from ears fresh
¾ cup chopped red onion
¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup avocado cubed
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ -1 jalapeno chopped

Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil use broth if oil free
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
1- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoon cumin

Instructions

Put everything into a bowl and mix well to combine.
Serve!

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for making this cowboy salad is to rinse and drain the canned beans really well. I always pour them into a colander, run cold water over them, and give them a little shake to get rid of all that thick liquid they come in. If you skip this step, the salad can end up soggy and the flavor won’t be as fresh.
Use fresh lime juice: I always squeeze fresh limes for the dressing because it makes the flavor so much brighter and more refreshing. It really lifts the whole salad.

Adjust jalapeño heat: If the jalapeño is very spicy, I scrape out the seeds before chopping. This way, the salad still has flavor without being too hot for the kids.

Chill before serving: I like to pop the salad in the fridge for about 20 minutes before eating. It lets the flavors blend together and makes it taste extra fresh.

Keep dressing separate for meal prep: When I make this ahead, I store the dressing in a jar and mix it in right before we eat. This keeps the veggies crisp and not soggy.

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