A gorgeous Spiced Crispy Pinto Bean Salad served on top of baby spinach with homemade Creamy Avocado Dressing that is ready from scratch in 15 minutes. Perfect easy, hearty lunch salad or side dish!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex
Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegetarian
Servings: 4side dish servings (or 2 large dinner salads)
½Hass avocadodiced (use the other half for the dressing)
1medium cucumberthinly sliced
½small red onionthinly sliced
4ozqueso fresco(or feta), chopped or crumbled
Avocado Dressing:
½Hass avocado
2tablespoonsplain low fat yogurt
2-4cupwaterto taste
2-3teaspoonslime juiceor lemon juice, to taste
1small garlic cloveminced
1scallionroughly chopped (or try cilantro)
salt & pepperto taste (about ¼ teaspoon each)
Instructions
Make spiced crispy pinto beans: In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the pinto beans and Cajun spice and cook for 3-4 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly. The beans will crisp up and start popping. Remove from heat and allow to cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.
Prepare all the veggies: slice the red onion, chop the avocado, slice the cucumbers, and dice the tomatoes.
Prepare the dressing in a small food processor or personal blender, such as a magic bullet: Add all the ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust with more water, lime juice, salt and pepper, if needed.
Plate the salad: On a large platter (or 2 large dinner plates), arrange the spinach, topped with rows of Spiced Pinto Beans, halved grape tomato, cucumber slices, onion slices, cubes of queso fresco, and chopped avocado. Top with Avocado dressing.
Notes
Try adding: chopped chicken or canned salmon for protein, pepitas for crunch (toast them first in the pan), cilantro instead of scallions in the dressing.Add dressing only to the portion that you are going to eat. Otherwise, keep the dressing and the chopped salad ingredients in the fridge separately for leftovers or for salad meal prep.