This is everything you love about a Mexican Vegetarian Taco Salad, made hearty into a bowl to be scooped with tortilla chips or simple with a fork. This is ridiculously delicious, and ready in as little as 10 minutes!
Try my Vegetarian Burrito Bowl, Mexican Stuffed Peppers, and Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for more Mexican-inspired recipes, next.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 3 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 7 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 368kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm Mexican-spiced beans and rice with cool crisp lettuce, salsa and avocado
- ✋ Difficulty: One pan, 10 minutes, chip-scoopable
Quick Answer
Saute red onion in olive oil for about 2 minutes, warm precooked brown rice, black beans and corn for 3 to 5 more, then take it off the heat and mix in salsa, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cheese and cilantro. Serve right away topped with avocado and tortilla chips for scooping. It is ready in about 10 minutes.
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This vegetarian taco salad is an incredibly easy dinner that is plant-based, gluten-free, and can be made vegan! It's filled with wholesome hearty ingredients that are simple - especially when you make the rice in advance. The perfect dinner for meatless Monday's!
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Bulk rice is the 10-minute secret. The key is making a bulk batch of rice and using it for recipes throughout the week, including this taco salad bowl.
- Warm base, cool toppings. The onion, rice, beans and corn heat in the pan while the salsa, tomato, lettuce, cheese and cilantro go in off the heat, so the salad stays crisp instead of wilted.
- Fine chopping makes it scoopable. Everything is chopped into fine bits so the kids get to eat it finger-food-style with chips!
- Gluten-free by design. Taco salads are a wonderful way to enjoy a gluten-free meal when made at home, since some restaurants cross contaminate food.
- Dairy-free optional. Use vegan shredded cheese or leave the cheese out all together.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Comes together in as little as 10 minutes! Does it get any easier than that? This colorful bowl assembles in minutes.
- Excellent for family weeknight dinners! Enjoy it as a salad, use the filling in tacos, or scoop it with tortilla chips. You may even want to try these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert - another BIG family favorite!
- Meatless but hearty. Amazing how few ingredients are in this healthy taco salad yet it still bursts with flavor, loads of fiber, protein and nutrients!
- Party friendly. Set it out chip-scoopable next to a healthy snack platter and watch it disappear.
Key Ingredients
- Precooked brown rice - the make-ahead hero of this bowl.
- Black beans and non-GMO corn kernels - hearty plant protein and sweetness.
- Red onion, Roma tomatoes and cilantro - the fresh crunch and color.
- Chunky salsa - the chunky kind ties the warm filling together.
- Shredded lettuce and cheese - I use pre-shredded iceberg and reduced fat cheese.
- Avocado and tortilla chips - for garnishing, dipping, scooping, or crumbling on top.
Full recipe ingredients are in the recipe card below.
Variations
- Refried bean version - heat refried beans separately and add them to the base of the serving bowl, then top the bean layer with the warmed rice, corn, salsa, tomato, lettuce, cheese, and cilantro salad.
- Tofu crumbles - firm tofu can be used in place of black beans or in addition. Cook it in oil over medium-high heat until browned, about 3 minutes, chopping into crumbles while cooking.
- Make it vegan - use vegan shredded cheese or leave the cheese out all together.
- Taco night - use the warm filling in taco shells instead, like my rice and bean tacos.
- Meat-lover version - the flavor profile also loves ground turkey, like my turkey stuffed peppers, browned and folded into the filling.
How to Make a Black Bean Taco Salad
1In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and onions on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until translucent.
2Add the cooked rice, beans, and corn, and heat for about 3-5 more minutes, stirring consistently, until warm (or until the rice is thawed if using frozen rice).
3Remove from the heat and add salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and cilantro. Mix to combine all the ingredients.
4Serve right away garnished with avocado and a side of tortilla chips for scooping. For a crowd, set the bowl in the middle of the table with extra chips and let everyone scoop family-style.
Expert Tips
- Batch the rice ahead. Make a bulk batch and use it for recipes throughout the week; frozen rice works too, just warm it through in the pan.
- Chop everything small. Fine pieces are what make this salad scoopable with chips.
- Serve it right away. The contrast of the warm filling and cool crisp toppings is the best part.
- Pick your lettuce. Pre-chopped iceberg is light and classic; romaine brings more nutrients and still a crisp texture.
- Kid rotation approved. This trades nights with cottage cheese mac and cheese in our house - both are chopped-small, scoop-it-yourself dinners.
- Hearty vegetable nights. When you want a spoon instead of chips, my hearty vegetable soup scratches the same itch.
Serving Ideas
Serve it as a weeknight dinner bowl, scoop it with chips appetizer-style with extra guacamole on the side, or spoon the filling into taco shells. Round out a Mexican-inspired spread with vegetarian tortilla soup, creamy taco chili soup, or slow cooker Tex-Mex quinoa, and finish with something sweet like bakery-style chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, just heat refried beans separately and add them to the base of the serving bowl, then top the bean layer with the warmed rice, corn, salsa, tomato, lettuce, cheese, and cilantro salad.
Firm tofu can be used in place of meat and black beans or in addition to the beans. Add oil to a pan set to medium-high heat, add the tofu and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, chopping into crumbles while cooking.
I use pre-chopped iceberg lettuce which is fine and light and great for tacos (it is what Mexican restaurants usually serve). Romaine lettuce, which has more nutrients and still a crisp texture, works great too. Chop it into very small pieces so you can scoop the taco salad with chips!
It is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. To make it vegan, use vegan shredded cheese or leave the cheese out all together.
The smartest make-ahead move is cooking a bulk batch of brown rice in advance. The salad itself is best mixed and served right away so the lettuce, cheese and cilantro stay crisp against the warm filling.
Tortilla chips for scooping are a must, with avocado on top. It also pairs well with vegetarian tortilla soup for a bigger dinner, and the filling doubles as a taco or burrito bowl base.
Vegetarian Taco Salad Bowl
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup red onion diced (omit if using a salsa with lots of onion)
- 2 cups cooked brown rice I like to do this a day or two before or use frozen cooked rice
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn or canned that is drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup chunky salsa
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 3 cups lettuce finely chopped, such as iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 1 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican blend cheese or shredded cheddar, Monterey cheese, or vegan cheese- (I use light cheddar or light Mexican blend)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 bag of Tortilla Chips
- 1 avocado sliced for garnish
Instructions
- On the stove top in a large frying pan, heat olive oil and onions on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the cooked rice, beans, and corn, and heat for about 3-5 more minutes, stirring consistently, or until warm or rice is thawed if using frozen rice.
- Remove from the heat and add salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and cilantro. Mix to combine all ingredients. Serve right away garnished with avocado and a side of tortilla chips.
Notes
- Nutritional information does not include tortilla chips and varies based off cheese used.
- You may use refried beans as an option in place of black beans. Heat refried beans separately and add them to the base of the serving bowl, then top the bean layer with the warmed rice mixture without adding black beans.
Nutrition
This post has been updated.
Diana says
Will give this a try. Sounds wonderful. FYI, I will use white rice as brown rice has more arsenic. Both have it, even organic rice. It pulls the arsenic from the soil. May use farro instead. Looking forward to making this.
Thank you
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Wonderful, and let me know what you think!
Lisa says
When do u add rice
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Add the rice after the onions are translucent. The typo has been corrected:-) Thank you so much!