This must be one of my most original “recipes”. I came up with the inspiration 5 years ago…not sure how or why, but I’m glad I did! In order to share this recipe with you, I literally had to measure the pasta, and beans and note the quantity of vegetables I used…not only for the salad ingredients but also for the dressing. Now that you have the basic recipe, feel free to add more, or less, of whatever you like…a little extra red pepper, a little more cucumber, etc.
Making it for kids? Maybe you’ll add a little more ditalini. Now, there’s a fancy name. When I was growing up we just called it “salad macaroni”. I like to cut the vegetables to be about the same size as the pasta and beans. Yes, it takes a little more time, but it adds to the beauty and I do want to serve a salad that is pretty. After all, it’s a great summer time salad…a nice side dish when grilling and a colorful option to serve to my vegetarian guests.
Omitting fresh tomato was not an oversight. While not a fan of fresh tomatoes, I’m not opposed to dicing them and serving them on the side. Diced avocado is a great side dish option too, you don’t want it to dis-color in the salad before you serve it.
A great make ahead salad, you can refrigerate it for several days. But if you’re pressed for time, that’s okay because some of my family actually prefer it “just made” and at room temperature.
Black Bean Salad
- 2 cups cooked ditalini (4 oz uncooked)
- 1 ½ cup cooked black beans (or 15 oz can), rinsed and drained
- ¼ cucumber, diced
- ¼ red pepper, diced
- ¼ green pepper, diced
- ¼ small red onion, diced
- ¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
Dice vegetables to be similar size of black beans and ditalini. Combine pasta, beans and vegetables. Add dressing and stir to coat. Serve warm or cold. Serves 4-6.
Dressing:
- Juice from ½ lime (about 2 Tbsp)
- 2-3 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
Combine ingredients and whisk together or shake in a bottle.
