High Protein Southwest Quinoa Salad

This high protein southwest quinoa salad is packed with whole foods, protein, and fiber. Top it off with some avocado and my easy 3-ingredient southwest sauce!

This salad is top tier. It’s packed with nourishing whole ingredients and tons of protein that will help support lean muscle and recovery.

I swear when I eat this consistently, my skin glows, my body feels strong and healthy, and I just FEEL GOOD.

You can even eat it with a spoon which is just that much better.

Here’s everything you’ll need and how to make it!

What You’ll Need

• Quinoa: I think the tri-color quinoa is really pretty, but any will work.
• Red onion
• Red bell pepper: Yellow or orange works too.
• Black beans
• Corn
• Roma tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Chicken: To make this super easy, I use pre-cooked shredded chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
• Taco seasoning: My easy homemade taco seasoning is delicious in this! You probably even have all the ingredients for it. Can sub 1/2 taco seasoning packet.
• Salt
• Avocado: Optional, for topping.
• 3-ingredient southwest sauce: Optional, for topping.

How To Make It

1. Cook the quinoa: The quinoa takes the longest, so get that going first. Make sure to rinse the quinoa off before cooking – I use a mesh strainer for this. After rinsing, you can choose whether or not to toast the quinoa on a hot pan before cooking – I love to do this to add more flavor. Then cook according to package instructions. I always just use my rice cooker and cook on the “white rice” setting.
2. Prep and chop the veggies: While the quinoa is cooking, prep the rest of the veggies. Wash everything off well and chop up into small pieces, or whatever size you prefer. Rinse and drain the black beans.
3. Chop the chicken: As mentioned above, I use pre-cooked chicken to make this super easy. Just chop it up into bite sized pieces.
4. Add everything together: After the quinoa has cooked and cooled off, fluff it up with a fork and add to a large mixing bowl along with the veggies and chicken. Season with taco seasoning, salt, and the juice of 1 lime (I use a lemon squeezer). Toss it all together!

Tips

• For a milder onion flavor: To take some of the bite out of the onions, soak the chopped onions in cold water for at least 10 minutes. I chop them first so they can soak while I prep everything else.
• Toast the quinoa: For a delicious roasted flavor, add rinsed quinoa to a hot frying pan to toast for just a few minutes before cooking.
• Homemade taco seasoning: My easy homemade taco seasoning is delicious in this recipe, and you probably already have all the ingredients for it. So worth the 5 extra minutes!

Toppings

• Avocado: Adds some healthy fats and creaminess.
• 3-ingredient southwest sauce: My favorite easy sauce to make for this.
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Cheese

Or whatever else you love!

To Store

Store leftover quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Similar Recipes

• Easy 20 minute southwest chicken
• Easy southwest chicken burritos
• Southwest chicken tacos

Lastly, be sure to leave a comment and review if you try out this high protein southwest quinoa salad! Love to hear from you guys 💚

High Protein Southwest Quinoa Salad

5 from 4 votes

This high protein southwest quinoa salad is packed with whole foods, protein, and fiber.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:25 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 5

Calories: 403kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (180 g) dry
• 1 small red onion (200 g)
• 1 large red bell pepper (170 g)
• 1 15oz can black beans
• 1/2 cup corn (125 g)
• 2 roma tomatoes (160 g)
• 1 handful cilantro chopped
• 1 lb cooked chicken breast (16 oz) chopped
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tsp sea salt
• juice from 1 lime

Instructions

• Rinse the quinoa well and cook according to package instructions. For a delicious roasted flavor, toast on a hot pan for a couple minutes before cooking.
• For a milder onion flavor, finely chop the red onion and add to a bowl of cold water to soak for at least 10 minutes.
• Wash and chop the rest of the veggies, drain and rinse the black beans, and set aside.
• Once the quinoa has cooked and cooled off, fluff with a fork and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
• Enjoy with avocado, 3-ingredient southwest sauce, or any other toppings you love!

Notes

• 3-ingredient southwest sauce
• Homemade taco seasoning– can sub 1 tbsp of your favorite taco seasoning or 1/2 taco seasoning packet.

Nutrition

Serving: 390g | Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.4g | Protein: 39.4g | Fat: 5.5g | Fiber: 11.2g

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