Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad

You’ll love this quick and easy Black Bean and Corn Salad! It’s low in calories and fat free, a perfect summer side dish to complement grilled foods.

I first tasted a similar Black Bean and Corn Salad a couple of years ago, not long after we moved here. It’s very American I think, not the kind of salad you would typically find on dinner tables back home in the UK.

There’s not much to it in terms of ingredients, but it tastes lovely with fresh lime juice and is especially good if you can get Farmers Market corn when it’s in season. I have a nifty little tool for cutting the corn off the cob, but if you don’t have that a sharp knife is perfectly adequate.

If you can’t get fresh corn then I think that frozen corn is nicer than canned, there’s no sugar added and if you use frozen it will help to chill the rest of the salad more quickly. You don’t need to defrost the corn either, just toss it in the bowl as it is.

The dressing is better with fresh lime juice, but the last time I made it I used bottled lime juice and it was still tasty. You can add in a little hot sauce if you like, I think it gives it a nice little kick but I also know it means that my kids won’t eat it if it’s hot, so it’s really up to you.

You can make it a couple of hours ahead or even the day before and it will still taste good.

I have found that the black beans can go slightly more mushy if it’s left too long, the taste wasn’t affected but it didn’t look quite as appetizing the next day so you might want to bear that in mind if you plan to serve this to guests.

Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad

You'll love this quick and easy Black Bean and Corn Salad! It's low in calories and fat free, a perfect summer side dish to complement grilled foods.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Total Carbs: 21 g

Protein: 2 g

Servings: 4

4.72 from 25 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh corn , approx 3 corn cobs - see note
• 1 can black beans , rinsed and drained
• 1/2 red onion , finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper , finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice , freshly squeezed is best
• 1 tablespoon honey , if vegan, use brown rice syrup
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt , to taste
• hot sauce , optional

Instructions

1. You can use frozen corn, canned corn or fresh corn. If you use fresh corn cook the corn cobs in boiling water for about five minutes, let them cool a little then cut the corn off. Make sure you have all the silks removed before you do that, you don't really want them in the salad.
2. If you use frozen corn there's no need to defrost it, just add it as is and it will defrost quickly and help chill the rest of the salad.
3. Cut the vegetables as directed.
4. Mix beans, corn and vegetables together in one bowl.
5. Mix the remaining ingredients together (except the salt) to make the dressing, then pour over the bean salad and mix well to combine. Add hot sauce if you want to give it a little kick, my kids won't eat it like that so I left it out. If you like more lime juice in the dressing you can adjust that up or down to suit your taste.
6. Season with salt and chill before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 96 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Sodium 14mg1%

Potassium 278mg8%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 1065IU21%

Vitamin C 46.2mg56%

Calcium 3mg0%

Iron 0.7mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information on Noshtastic is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Author: Noshtastic

Course: American

Cuisine: Salad