This recipe all fell together within 15 minutes. Seriously, folks, it was the best side for our grilled chicken and salad. Smoky, spicy, and a hint of sweet. Enjoy it as a main course or pair it with a main dish. Scoop it over your eggs, fish, or stuff a taco with this crazy mixture! I cooked dried beans, but you can also buy canned beans at the store.
Let’s get cooking! Oh yes, by the way, this is not limited to the combo I am sharing. Add your own creativity and let me know how it comes out!
Mexican Bean Salad
September 24, 2025
: 6
: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 cup of each cooked, rinsed, and drained: black beans, white beans, pinto beans, chick beans, kidney beans, corn
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced small and steamed
- 1-2 jalapeños or red peppers deseeded and diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1/2 cup diced cilantro
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp smoky paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lime juiced, about 2 tablespoons of juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 green onions, diced
- Optional: Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp of hot sauce
Directions
- Step 1 Drain and rinse all the beans. Place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir it.
- Step 2 Add the steamed diced sweet potato, diced pepper, diced garlic, diced cilantro, and diced white onion.
- Step 3 Add all the seasonings. Taste and adapt to your own flavor and taste.
- Step 4 Mix the sour cream with the hot sauce, and place it on the table. It is delicious with a dollop over this salad! Before serving, sprinkle the diced green onions over the top of the salad. Enjoy and don’t forget a drizzle of the sour cream sauce!
I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.