Zesty Quinoa with Black Bean & Tomato

This zesty and surprisingly addictive black beans and tomato quinoa recipe can be thrown together quickly and makes great leftovers.

7 Ratings

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This was really delicious and had a great complex flavor, especially considering how quick it was to throw together.  Apparently it gets even better after sitting for a while so it seems like a great recipe to double or triple and then have leftovers for lunch all week.

The original recipe is available at Epicurious and is almost perfect – the only changes I made were to omit the butter and sugar (I added maybe a teaspoon more vegetable oil but otherwise didn’t do anything to replace them) it was definitely awesome without them.  

I also used my steamer to cook the quinoa instead of doing it on the stovetop.  I don’t like to have too many kitchen gadgets but I really love my steamer – it makes it so effortless to make rice, quinoa, steamed veggies, and a bunch of other nice healthy foods.  The one I have is an old Black & Decker model they don’t make anymore, but if I were to replace it I think I’d get this one since the stainless steel bowl is a better idea than a plastic one anyway.  Does anyone have a steamer they really love & would recommend?

Anyway, the quinoa looks like this before it steams:

Uncooked Quinoa

And this after (I’d already scooped some out before I remembered to take a photo):

Cooked Quinoa

I haven’t cooked with quinoa (which is pronounced “Keen-Wah,” by the way.  The more you know!) very much but at least with a steamer it’s super easy and has a great taste & texture.  I suspect you’ll see more recipes with it soon. I used a cup of quinoa and about 1.25 cups water, steamed for 30 minutes and then fluffed it with a fork and let sit for 5 more.

While that steams, just chop up a couple of tomatoes & some cilantro, zest a lime or two, and rinse off some beans.

Chopped tomatoes and cilantro

I did actually use canned beans this time, although I normally try to use dried. One of these days I’ll learn to plan ahead.  Maybe.)  I warmed the beans up on the stove because I didn’t think I’d like them as much cold, but that’s pretty optional if they’re already cooked.

Throw together the lime, oil & some salt in a big bowl and let it sit while the quinoa finishes cooking.  Once that’s done, mix all the ingredients together and either let it sit a while (so the flavors can mingle & generally get to know one another in an intimate fashion) or eat it right away.  Or if you made a bunch, both!

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa
Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

Zesty Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

This zesty and surprisingly addictive black beans and tomato quinoa recipe can be thrown together quickly and makes great leftovers.
Click stars below to rate, or leave a full review in the comments
7 Ratings
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Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 566kcal
Author: Jessica Verma

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Mix together lime zest, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  • Rinse quinoa and prepare in a medium pot. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork. Note: If you prepare your quinoa in a steamer, the water/quinoa ratios might be different, so follow your manufacturer's instructions.
  • Add quinoa to lime & oil mixture and toss until absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 1280mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1265IU | Vitamin C: 21.9mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 7.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @CleanGreenSimple or tag #CleanGreenSimple!
John Schmidt
4.86 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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6 thoughts on “Zesty Quinoa with Black Bean & Tomato”

  1. Jessica, The beans in the picture look like light red kidney beans not black beans. Did you substitute them one for the other?I think I will use black beans and add sweet corn to the mix make it TEX/MEX. THANKS !

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    We were invited to a friend’s home for dinner — she was willing to go vegan for us! She picked this recipe, and it was *fantastic*! I can’t wait to try this myself!

    Reply
  3. 5 stars
    So, I couldn’t figure out what I was going to bring for Thanksgiving dinner- that issue has been resolved. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply