No-Cook Chili Bean Salad
All the usual suspects found in a vegetarian bean chili appear in this salad — canned beans, tomato, bell pepper, red onion and spices — but there’s no cooking-with-heat required. The tomatoes are salted to tenderize and coax out their sweet, umami juices. Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and dried oregano inject smoky earthiness and complexity. While black and pinto beans are used here, it is absolutely viable to use whatever beans you have on hand for this pantry-friendly recipe. Best of all, the salad can be dressed up with the usual chili toppings such as avocado, sour cream and cheese. Eat as is, or with tortillas or corn chips on the side.
- 1 pound tomatoes, roughly chopped into 1-inch chunks
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
- 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ to 1 jalapeño, chopped
- Handful chopped cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
- 1 lime, quartered
- Any combination of corn chips, tortillas, sour cream, avocado and cheese (such as Cheddar, crumbled feta or queso blanco), for serving
Place the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to crush them roughly, extracting juice and softening them.
To the tomatoes, add both types of beans, the bell pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, jalapeño, cilantro and ¼ cup olive oil; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and more olive oil, if you like.
Divide the salad among four serving bowls. Serve with lime wedges on the side, and top with desired toppings.
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
50 grams carbs; 385 calories; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 17 grams fiber; 943 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 6 grams sugar