Summer vegan taco bean salad recipe with homemade nachos

The flavours of Mexican food come together in a beautiful medley in our popular vegan taco bean salad recipe. Lime, coriander, peppers, paprika, cumin, tomatoes, combined with the creaminess of kidney and black beans make this a treat to enjoy for your summer meal table.

Rather than buying shop bought nachos, which can be fried and covered in salt and preservatives, we prefer to make our own. It gives you the opportunity to make them as hot and spicy as you prefer! Flour tortillas contain gluten, so if you need to make a gluten-free version, simply swap for a corn version.

Remember, you need to have pre-cooked the kidney and black beans before making this recipe. (If you only have dried beans, soak them overnight in cold water. Drain the water, cover with cold water, then bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for one hour or according to packet instructions. Rinse, drain and allow to go cold).

Cooking tip: We use pre-packed tortillas to make the nachos. When you go to the supermarket check the ingredients on the packet and find one that is low in added salt. Whilst cooking, remember that they brown quickly, so keep an eye on them!

This salad benefits from being left in the fridge for an hour or two before eating – all the lovely flavours of the dressing meld together and soak into the beans.

Vegan taco bean salad with nachos recipe

Serves: 6
Calories: 1,234 total, 206 per serving

Ingredients

Salad
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely cubed
1 red pepper, finely cubed
Juice and zest from ½ lime
2 ½ cups cooked beans (use a combination of kidney beans and black beans)
Large handful of fresh coriander, finely cut
Handful of spinach, finely shredded
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
½ cup sweetcorn

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic
½ tsp ground cumin

Nachos
4 flour tortillas, cut into eighths
1 tsp spicy paprika

Method

We start by making the bean salad.

Place the chili powder, ground cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper in a frying pan with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp water. Cook for a few minutes until the spices begin to smell lovely.

Add in the onion, lime juice, lime zest and cook for 10 minutes.

Add in the green and red pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is soft and turning golden – add water as necessary to prevent burning. (You want the pepper to become a little soft). Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to go cold.

Whilst the vegetables are cooking, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients using a hand-blender.

Place the cooked beans into a large bowl. Add the fresh coriander. Pour over the dressing and toss well so that all of the beans and salad items are covered. Place in the fridge until ready to eat.

Make the nachos. Shake the spicy paprika over the flour tortillas. Place the tortilla pieces onto a baking tray (single layer) and toast beneath a medium-hot grill, so that they become brown. Turn the nachos over and brown the second side. They only take a minute or two on each side, so keep an eye on them. Leave to go cold.

Serving suggestion
We love serving this dish with our heavenly guacamole and Mexican couscous.

Vegan plant-based food at La Crisalida Retreats  

La Crisalida Retreats serves plant-based (vegan) food, all prepared fresh for each meal on the premises by our talented team of chefs. We aim to provide food that supports your body, with holistic nutrition, to allow you to re-connect, re-balance and re-energise. More plant-based recipes are available on our health and wellbeing blog.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!