This healthy cowboy caviar is the ultimate dip. It is loaded with beans, veggies, corn, mango, feta and an amazing vinaigrette. Give a big bowl and some chips to scoop it up and I will happily watch football all day!
If you didn’t catch it, cowboy caviar was social media trending quite a bit this year. And for good reason. It is versatile, delicious and can serve so many purposes from a healthy football snack to a filling workweek lunch.
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it never gets old. It is crunchy, vibrant and zingy. I just want to dunk in chip after chip. For the leftovers, I serve on top of greens for a delightfully filling salad.
What you need to make healthy cowboy caviar:
Beans: a variety of black beans, pinto beans, white beans, garbanzo beans or unique beans like this heirloom series from S&W!
Bell peppers: sweet peppers provide beautiful crunch and nutrients.
Cucumbers: I like to buy smaller-sized Persian cucumbers.
Red onion: onion gives great bite to this simple salsa.
Green onions: snag green onions from the produce section of any grocery store.
Pickled jalapeños: the hot and sweet ones from Trader Joe’s are THEE best.
Cilantro: ya can’t have a tex mex dip without cilantro!
Frozen roasted corn: I also get this from Trader Joe’s, it’s so yummy!
Feta: I like to buy the block of feta and crumble it myself for best flavor. I usually find the block of feta at the deli kiosk (vs the cheese section).
How to make Healthy Cowboy Caviar:
Whisk together the vinaigrette.
Combine all ingredients and toss with the vinaigrette. Serve with chips or eat straight up!
Let’s talk about the nutrition in beans:
The star of the show here are the beans. I used S&W Beans– several varieties from their heirloom series as well as classic black beans. Just like most things in this recipe, it’s very versatile and you can choose whichever variety of beans you love best!
I could go on and on about the fabulous nutrition in beans and legumes. A vast amount of research boasts the wildly powerful effects of bean nutrition from reducing risk of chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease to reducing blood pressure and cholesterol. Bean production is also drastically better for the environment than production of other protein sources.
Most Americans do not meet the recommended daily intake of 30 grams fiber per day. With just 1/2 cup of beans, you can cover ONE THIRD of your daily intake. Plus 6 grams of plant-based protein, 100 calories and a smorgasbord of nutrients like folate, thiamine, potassium, magnesium and iron.
We toss in a variety of colorful veggies and tie it all together with a citrusy vinaigrette with just a pop of heat. It’ll keep you coming back for bite after bite.
FAQs
Yep! Use your favorite beans here!
Simply omit the feta, it’s still delicious!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
If you love this cowboy caviar you’ll love these other healthy appetizer ideas:
Watch how to make healthy cowboy caviar:
PrintCowboy Caviar
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Hearty beans, a rainbow of veggies and a zingy lime vinaigrette make this cowboy caviar a snack, appetizer or meal that you will love and feel GREAT about eating!
Ingredients
- 1 can S&W Jacob’s Cattle Beans
- 1 can S&W Yellow Eye Beans
- 1 can S&W Black Beans
- 2 bell peppers, chopped small
- 2 mini cucumbers, seeds scraped out and chopped small
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, minced (I like the hot and sweet ones from Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 1lb bag frozen roasted corn
- 6oz feta, crumbled
Vinaigrette
- 2 large limes, juiced
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hot honey
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Whisk together the vinaigrette.
Combine all ingredients and toss with the vinaigrette. Serve with chips or eat straight up!
Notes
You can sub whatever variety of beans you enjoy like pinto, kidney, white or garbanzo.
To make this dish vegan, simply leave out the feta and sub agave for the honey.
I like to make this as a snack for Sunday afternoon football and then enjoy leftovers for lunches throughout the week. It holds up really well in the fridge for up to 4 days!
For more #beanspiration and easy recipes, follow @swbeans on Instagram and check out their site: swbeans.com. S&W Beans are also available on Amazon.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: meal prep, appetizer
This post is sponsored by S&W Beans, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support It’s a Flavorful Life!
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