Black Bean BBQ Chopped Salad

episode #18 of 30-minute budget meals!

I am so happy it’s almost summer — it’s my favorite season of food. I can’t get enough of stone fruit, tomatoes, salads, grilled foods, outdoor dinners where the sun doesn’t go down until after 8pm. My dream.

This week’s recipe IS FAST, and I mean it! Max 15 minutes, maybe? You just dump everything in a bowl. That’s literally it. Okay, maybe you have to chop up some pickles and onions, fine, but that is easy peasy.

My new favorite thing for these 30-minute meals is to buy a bag of pre-cut coleslaw style cabbage, which saves so much time! That’s the base of this recipe, which goes perfectly with the barbecue theme. And if you have leftover in your bag, might I suggest making this other 30-minute budget meal, Vegetarian Fried Rice Skillet with Spicy Mayo?

The rest of the salad uses canned black beans and sweet corn, chopped pickles and red onion, fresh cilantro, and an easy dressing made of barbecue sauce, mayo, and lime. This is perfect for summer, as an easy entree or as a side to bring to an actual barbecue.

I topped mine off with some crumbled tortilla chips, but you can also double the amount and mix it in for extra crunch, or you can remove it completely if that’s not your thing.

I also think this would taste amazing with avocado, but this is a budget-friendly series, so I wanted to make sure I designed the recipe to be complete without it. Feel free to add it in though!

Also! This dish can be fully plant-based if you use vegenaise!!

Black Bean BBQ Chopped Salad

Ingredients (serves 2-3 as an entree, 4-6 as a side)