Light, fresh, crunchy with the perfect combo of sweet, savory and spicy. Black bean salsa is always a hit at parties or perfect for topping tacos!
Oh salsa, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love you on tacos, I love you on chips, I would eat you on salads, or even as dips...sorry, we've been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss lately.
Black Bean Salsa is as colorful of the pages of a Dr. Seuss story and equally enjoyable. A serious warm weather staple in our house. Incredibly simple to put together, pleasantly surprising for your tastebuds, this is the answer to your mundane salsa woes.
Do you get salsa woes? It's totally a thing. Particularly during pregnancy. During my pregnancy with Shea, the Mexican cuisine intake was record setting. Of course, working in a restaurant with all the ingredients at your disposal doesn't hurt. But if you don't have that, you can always have this Black Bean Salsa!
With all the deliciousness you can wrap in a tortilla, the time has come to expand your salsa repertoire.
While you're enjoying your salsa with a black bean spin, feel free to whip up something tasty to wash it down with. Like these margarita recipes you could partake in.
Easy, Peasy, Black Bean Salsa
The love for this salsa is deep for many reasons. It's ridiculously easy to make. Slightly sweet with just the right acidity and spice. Applications? Endless.
Of course it's divine with tortilla chips or as a sweeter element on tacos, but the light apple cider vinegar based 'dressing' makes this perfect for putting on top of a salad.
Bonus points in the health department: the traditional recipe my mom gave me many moons ago called for quite a bit of olive oil and granulated sugar. In this version, we swap out the sugar for agave and reduce the olive oil. It's lighter, healthier, but tastes just like the original.
If you're not feeling the traditional tortilla, enjoy this Black Bean Salsa on toasted baguette with some melty gruyere or fontina, or just eat it by the spoonful like a husband I know. The absolute best part? This Black Bean Salsa can literally be done in the bowl in under 15 minutes, depending on your speed with a knife.
Poor knife skills? Oh, hello food processor. If delving into the food processing option, definitely opt for a quick pulse so you don't end up with watery ingredients. After processing or chopping your fresh ingredients, everyone becomes family in a big mixing bowl. Top with your whisked wet ingredients and stir. Bam! Done.
Salsa time.
Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 15-ounce can Pink Beans or Small Red Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 11-ounce can White Shoepeg Corn (drained)
- 1 Green Pepper (diced ¼")
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced ¼")
- ½ large Red Onion (finely diced)
- 1 Jalapeño (finely diced, seeds removed)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Agave Nectar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and agave nectar.
- Drain and rinse beans. Add black beans, red beans, and drained corn to a large mixing bowl.
- Dice the green and red bell peppers and add to the bean and corn mixture. Finely dice the red onion, jalapeño and garlic. Add the mixing bowl and stir to combine ingredients.
- Top with the apple cider and agave dressing, mix thoroughly. Enjoy immediately or soak overnight for more intense flavor.
Nutrition
JeeYoung says
Yum! Looks refreshing! I love chips & salsa!
Kristen says
Oh my gosh, this look DELICIOUS! Might give it a try this weekend 🙂
Kristen | http://www.sophisticatedgal.com
Allison says
Oh yum! This looks so delicious! I will have to make it soon. My hubby loves salsa.
Jasmine Eclipse says
Yum!! This looks really good. I can't wait for summer so I can make my own homemade salsas! I'm really loving mango salsa at the moment, but I will definitely try this one out!
Linda Falardeau says
I made a giant bowl of this thinking I'd have some to share. Guess what? None to share. So healthy and so good. We put it on top of everything! Chicken, fish, salad and unfortunately, tortilla chips. I say unfortunately because it usually involves eating just about the whole bag. We can't be good all the time!! Don't scrimp on the garlic.
Ann says
Lauren what is Agave???
lpariseau says
Hi Ann! Agave, or what I should have actually called 'agave nectar' is a sweetner. It's slightly thick, similar to corn syrup but not quite so thick, and comes from the agave plant. It's no healthier than any other sugar, so you can substitute if that's easier. I just find it easier to blend together and prefer the taste.