Quinoa Taco Salad

5 from 2 votes

This quinoa taco salad recipe is a unique vegan taco salad recipe with quinoa as the taco meat! You will love this delicious taco salad with beans and veggies and dressed in a vegan southwest dressing.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Entrees, Salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 97kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Quinoa Taco Meat

¾ cup Tri-color quinoa or any quinoa
1 cup Red onion diced
2 teaspoons Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, chopped finely if sensitive to spice, start with ½ teaspoon and add to adjust to preference
2 teaspoons Tomato paste
½ teaspoons Cumin
1 cup Vegetable broth
2 Limes juiced

Taco Salad

1 pound Escarole chopped, or greens of choice
1 bunch Green onions sliced thin
1 15 ounce can Black beans rinsed and drained
8 ounces Grape tomatoes cut in half
2 ears Corn or 1 ½ cup canned, or frozen cooked corn
1 Avocado diced
½ cup Cilantro

Vegan Southwest Salad Dressing

1 recipe vegan southwest salad dressing

Instructions

Quinoa Taco Meat

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the quinoa to a dry pan to toast it.
Stir the quinoa with a wooden spoon frequently for 5-7 minutes.
The toasted quinoa will start popping, and it smells fabulous!
Transfer the toasted quinoa to a bowl.
Return the same pan to the stove top, and saute the red onion until translucent.
If the onion sticks, add a small amount of water or vegetable broth to replace the onions.
Add the chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, cumin, lime juice and tomato paste.
Stir to combine.
Add the vegetable broth, stir, and let the tomato paste and peppers melt into the broth mixture.
Now, add the toasted quinoa. Stir.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
The quinoa meat needs to cool completely before adding to the salad.
For a quick and easy way to cool the quinoa, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Spread the quinoa in a thin layer on the baking sheet and allow to cool while preparing the salad ingredients.

Salad Ingredients

Chop the Escarole or chosen greens and place them on the base of a large platter or in individual bowls.
Prepare the other vegetables, rinse, and drain the black beans.
I do not recommend adding the avocado to the salad until right before serving to prevent it from turning brown.
I grilled the corn and cut it from the cobs, but canned or frozen cooked corn. can be used instead.
Begin by layering the ingredients over the greens, starting with a generous amount of quinoa taco meat, followed by half of the other ingredients, and spreading the ingredients evenly over the greens.
Repeat the process with the remaining half of the ingredients.

Southwest Dressing

Blend all the ingredients in a blender cup and refrigerate until ready to use the dressing.

Video

Notes

Toasting the quinoa removes the bitter taste and gives it a rich, nutty flavor and texture.

Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce are VERY spicy, so start with a small amount and add more as desired. You can always add more spice, but remove it once it's added. We like spicy, but not everyone shares the same taste.

Do not add the avocado until right before serving to prevent the avocado from turning brown.

Make the quinoa taco meat in advance to prevent having to wait for the quinoa to cool, or use the quick and easy method by spreading it on a baking sheet to cool quickly.

If you don't want the vegan southwest dressing, try Avocado Ranch Dressing, Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, or Lemon Basil Dressing.

Nutrition