Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

By HollyRN

This recipe was inspired by one of my readers, Ellen Koh, who sent me a fabulous Mexican Bean Salad recipe. Over the years, it has become the most popular recipe on my site; it has been pinned over 800,000 times on Pinterest and called “Veggie Crack” because it’s so addictive! I love it for entertaining because it’s festive and you can make it ahead of time — in fact, you should because it gets better and better the longer it sits.

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I like Colavita)
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more to garnish
• 2 Hass avocados, diced

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.

Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados.

Garnish with a few sprigs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.