Quinoa Salad with Avocado Dressing and Pinto Beans
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This quinoa salad with avocado dressing, pinto beans, red bell pepper, and more is a hearty and filling salad that stores great in the fridge – it’s perfect for lunches!
I’ve been doing more and more meal prep lately. In the never-ending quest to lose weight and keep it off, I’ve found that meal prep is one of the most valuable things I can do. It helps with feeding the kids, too! In my fridge, unless I need to go to the store, you’ll almost always find:
- washed leaf lettuce
- peeled and cut carrots
- boiled eggs
- cooked chicken breasts
- washed herbs
- homemade salad dressing – I’m on a honey mustard vinaigrette kick
- cut up fruit
Of course, it varies week to week. If I’m really ahead of the game, I’ll have a salad prepped like this quinoa salad with avocado dressing. I shared the avocado lime dressing with you yesterday, and as promised, this is a recipe that uses that dressing.
In my freezer, I like to keep some grains cooked and frozen to make salad or soup prep SUPER simple. It’s unbelievably easy to cook and freeze quinoa – if I’m cooking quinoa for a recipe, I almost always cook the entire bag and freeze what I don’t need. It’s a great way to save time in the kitchen.
About This Quinoa Salad with Avocado Dressing Recipe:
Simple and flavorful, this quinoa salad with avocado dressing keeps great in the fridge and will keep you full for hours. Quinoa brings its own punch of protein, as do the pinto beans.
Make it your own:
I like this salad as is, but it is also great served on top of some fresh greens for extra crunch. Use different vegetables if you have them. If you like cilantro, that would be great sprinkled on top of this salad. If you like spice, add some chopped jalapeño peppers. To add extra protein, add some cooked chicken breast or cheese. Use your favorite bottled dressing or a different dressing recipe, if you like.
Needed for this recipe:
- quinoa
- large bowl (bonus if it’s a covered bowl for storage in fridge)
- canned pinto beans
More quinoa love!
If you love quinoa, don’t miss these recipes:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 can (16 ounce) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup [avocado lime dressing], more to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix everything together. Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Serving size: approximately 1 cup.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Husband’s take: He loved the dressing and loves the salad.
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but feel free to add your favorite vegetables. Add some jalapeño for spice.
Difficulty: Easy!
Nancy Roudebush says
My husband and I loved this recipe. It was easy to prepare and very tasty.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come and leave a comment and review!
Christine @ WRY TOAST says
salads that stay fresh in the fridge are SO clutch!!! love that feature, plus the pimento beans are such a nice bonus :) pinned!
denise says
I need to start buying quinoa again