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.
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 ✨!
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Why this veggie taco salad is so good!
+ Comes together in as little as 10 minutes! Does it get any easier than that 😊? This colorful bowl is packed with vegetarian ingredients that assemble together in minutes! The key is making a bulk batch of rice and use it for recipes throughout the week, including this vegetarian taco salad bowl.
+ Excellent for family weeknight dinners! Enjoy this Mexican dish in many variations such as a salad, use the filling in tacos, or scoop this taco salad with tortilla chips. It is quick, easy, tasty, and healthy and a must for busy weeknights! The kids have fun with this recipe because it is chopped into fine bits and they get to eat it - finger-food-style - with chips! You may even want to try these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bakery-Style) for dessert with this meal - it is another BIG family (and fan) favorite recipe!
+ Gluten-free, dairy-free optional, meatless, and is full of Mexican flavors and vegetables! Taco salads are a wonderful way to enjoy a gluten-free meal (when made at home as some restaurants cross contaminate food). If you want to eliminate dairy, use vegan shredded cheese or leave the cheese out all together. Either way, it is amazing how few ingredients are in this healthy taco salad yet it still bursts with flavor, loads of fiber, protein and nutrients!
What goes into this taco salad
Full recipe ingredients are in the recipe card, but here is what goes into this vegetarian taco salad:
- olive oil - for sautéing
- red onion
- precooked brown rice
- black beans
- non-GMO corn kernels
- Roma tomatoes
- salsa - the chunky kind!
- shredded lettuce (I used pre-shredded iceberg)
- shredded cheese (I use reduced fat)
- cilantro
- avocado
- tortilla chips - for dipping and scooping or crumbling on top
How to make a black bean taco salad
STEP 1: In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and onions on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until translucent.
STEP 2: 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.
STEP 3: Remove from the heat and add salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and cilantro. Mix to combine all the ingredients, and serve right away garnished with avocado and a side of tortilla chips.
Faqs and Tips
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 the addition of 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 for taco salads too. Make sure to chop it very into very small pieces so you can scoop the taco salad with chips!
Vegetarian family dinners you may also enjoy
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📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Taco Salad Bowl
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!