Southwestern Quinoa Salad with “Mole” Vinaigrette

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Southwestern Quinoa Salad is light, refreshing, sweet, and spicy. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s a great salad for meal prep or or for a light dinner. Super healthy, packed with protein, totally tasty, gluten free, and vegan friendly!

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring! You can easily make delicious, healthy recipes that are super satisfying, hearty and tasty. That’s what I love about this Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. It has a little bit of everything in it, and when the ingredients are combined, it gives you an explosion of flavors.

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Quinoa adds great texture, a healthy dose of whole grains, and a balance of essential amino acids to any meal – so it’s a great option to add to salads! This is a protein packed dish with bright Mexican inspired flavors: quinoa, pumpkin seeds, jalapeno pepper, black beans, and mixed greens tossed with a spicy mole inspired vinaigrette.

It’s the perfect salad for just about any meal, and is the best way to get your veggies for the day all in one bowl!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Packed with Fresh Ingredients
• Mexican Flavors
• Great as a main dish, side or grab-and-go lunch
• An easy vegan recipe
• Naturally gluten-free
• Has beautiful vibrant colors!
• Quinoa is a complete protein! So it’s a great vegetarian option for protein.
• Easy to customize

How to Make Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

This delicious quinoa salad is so easy to make, you can find all of the ingredients you need at your local grocery store!

For the salad dressing

• Orange Rind: Brightens up the flavors of this dressing.
• Unsweetened cocoa, Ground cumin powder, Ground cinnamon: Spices that give the dressing its mole flavor.
• Fresh orange juice or lime juice and red wine vinegar: For acidity in this dressing.
• Adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce): Gives the dressing a smoky, spicy flavor. If you can’t find this ingredient, you can also use smoked paprika or chili powder.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: To emulsify the dressing and for some healthy fats.

For the salad

• Quinoa: I used white quinoa, but you can use any kind of quinoa you like! A mixture of white, back and red quinoa would probably taste great as well.
• Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)
• Fresh Cilantro: Omit if you are not a cilantro fan! You can replace this with fresh parsley too.
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Add it to taste, don’t skimp on this as it gives the salad great flavor!
• Green Onions or Red Onion: For a slight spicy crunch.
• Jalapeno pepper: You can also use a green bell pepper or red bell pepper as a substitute.
• Black Beans: I used a can of black beans, but you can use any kind of bean you like. Kidney beans or pinto beans would work especially well as a substitute.
• Baby Spinach: For added greens!

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; gradually add oil, stirring well with a whisk.

Step 2: Cook quinoa according to package directions on the stove top. Let’s cool. Combine cooked quinoa and next 6 ingredients (through beans) in a large salad bowl.

Step 3: Add dressing; toss to coat.

Step 4: Add spinach or mixed greens; toss to combine. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together.

What Makes This Southwestern Quinoa Salad Healthy?

• High in Protein: Each serving of this delicious meal has 12 grams of plant protein and 9 grams of heart healthy fiber.
• Vitamins and Nutrients: In addition to lots of protein and fiber, this salad is also filled with Vitamin B6, Folate, Manganese, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin C, and so much more!
• Low Calorie: This satisfying salad is so filling, but it’s only about 280 calories for a giant serving!

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Variations

• Try mixing in other ingredients! Some chickpeas, avocado, sweet corn kernels, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, parsley, or your favorite greens would all go well in this salad. It’s a super versatile recipe that can adapt to your tastes!
• Add some nuts! Try chopped almonds, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, or walnuts. You can also switch out the pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds!
• Add some cheese! Try crumbled goat cheese, feta, or queso fresco on this vibrant salad.
• Switch up the dressing: Instead of a mole inspired dressing, try a lime dressing, or simply toss the quinoa salad with olive oil, salt and pepper before serving.

How to Store and Keep

Keep this vegan southwest quinoa salad in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. The longer the salad sits, the more time the seasonings and flavors of the dressing have to marry together. If you plan to meal prep and store this for later, I recommend storing the dressing separately, the quinoa mixture separately and the spinach separately, and tossing the salad right before serving.

Top Tips for Making This Healthy Quinoa Salad

• Feel free to change up the ingredients with your favorite add-ins (see recipe variations above)
• Use canned black beans to cut down on prep time!
• You can also cook your quinoa in the instant pot to save time. To cook in the instant pot: put 1 cup of dry quinoa with 1.5 cups of water. Pressure cook on high for 1 minute, natural release for 10 minutes. Open lid and the quinoa should be ready to go!

Check Out These Other Delicious Salads and Quick Meals!

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