~ A bright, crisp four-pepper salsa with black beans and fresh cilantro. Quick, easy and awesome with chips! Perfect for parties or just everyday snacking – a snap to make ahead or serve immediately! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Make Ahead • Vegan (and Vegetarian) • Gluten Free •
Well, hello there, summer! The colors in this Rainbow Pepper Salsa are so bright and beautiful you’ll certainly be looking around for a pot of gold!
This will definitely draw a crowd – of both adults and kids! Seriously – my kids scarf this down faster than I can push them aside to get to the bowl myself! They LOOOOOVE it! The gorgeous colors, the fresh cilantro, the crunchy peppers, the creamy black beans – see what I mean?
When we were on a family vacation a couple of years ago, my sister-in-law made a super-fresh, super-crisp, super-amazing pepper salsa. There were about 15 of us that had packed up and headed to the beach for a week of fun in the sun. We all had a great time. (Except for a few run-ins with jellyfish! I think out of the 15 of us, over half got stung. No kidding! Talk about some bad luck!). Anyway, on the last day we all cooked a little something and had a smorgasbord. This salsa was the hit of the party!
I’ve made this so many times since then (yeah – a phenomenal way to get my girls to eat their veggies!), and it’s evolved along the way. I’ve added my own little twists with some lime juice and cilantro, and we love it even more than the original (which I didn’t think was possible!).
It’s just too easy – some quick chopping, a little squeeze of lime, then toss it all together in a bowl, and you’re done! How easy is that?
This salsa is delicious with tortilla chips. (We’re loving the Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips at Trader Joe’s right now!) It’s also great simply as a side salad. I often just grab a fork and dig in, or even use it as a topping for an otherwise-boring green salad. And, if there happens to be any left over – which isn’t likely – it’s great on chicken, baked potatoes, fish … you get the idea.
One more reason to make this today – it’ll still taste awesome tomorrow! In fact, given a little time to sit, the flavors mellow and meld together perfectly. No time to prep right before the picnic or party? No problem! This keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator, so you can make it ahead when you’ve got the time!
Rainbow Pepper Salsa
This super-easy Pepper Salsa is fantastic with chips! So fresh and vibrant – great for parties or snacking!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Make Ahead • Vegan (and Vegetarian) • Gluten Free •
Ingredients
- 4 chopped bell peppers – 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper and 1 orange pepper (to equal approximately 6 cups, chopped)
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- juice of 1 lime (about 2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chopped bell peppers, black beans, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour dressing over bell pepper mixture and stir to combine.
- Eat immediately or refrigerate until serving (several hours or overnight).
- Serve with whole grain or baked tortilla chips, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 servings Serving Size: 1/4 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 26Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
I LOVE the sweet peppers and am always looking for healthy recipes! This looks like a good one. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is a breeze to throw together, is super healthy, and everyone LOVES it!! The crunchy peppers and the creamy beans … it’s a perfect snack!! ~G&S
This looks so fresh and delicious, not to mention healthy! Great game food…it looks wonderful!
Hi, Jodee! Thanks so much for the kind words! The wonderful thing about this salsa is that, with peppers readily available and delicious year-round, you can enjoy this fresh and vibrant salsa any time of year – whether in mid-summer for a cook-out or in the depths of winter for the Super Bowl! It’s just perfect anytime! 😀 ~G&S
I’m a huge fan of salsa and this looks off the hook. So fresh! Might have to try this for the big game next week.
Definitely give it a shot as a Super Bowl snackie! It’s so quick and easy, and the gorgeously fresh flavors just sing – it’ll be a ray of sunshine amongst some of the more typically heavy football appetizers! Thanks for stopping by, Danielle! 😀 ~G&S
My family and I had a Mexican-themed dinner Wednesday. I had peppers in three shades of green that I’d picked at a local farm so I threw together this recipe, added an avocado (for Mexican flair) and it was gobbled up before we’d warmed up the quesadilla maker. Easy, delicious and healthy! Thanks for sharing this one, Gretchen!
I’m so happy you all loved this one! Yes … I, too, have set this out while preparing the rest of the meal and it disappears before we can sit down to the table! I bet the avocado was an amazing addition! Yum!! 🙂 ~Gretchen
Reading this makes me remember one time we went to the beach for a vacation and the water looked beautiful, but no one was in the water. We couldn’t figure out why, but it was hot so we wanted to get in. After a minute or so we were surrounded by jellyfish! Holy heck! We all started running to get out of the water as quick as possible. We were all stung in multiple places. Right then, we knew why no one was in the water. Lol Later that day we saw on the news about this rare occurrence of huge schools of jelly fish. Crazy!
Cindy, you seriously have the best stories! This is hilarious! (Well, except for the part about being stung in multiple places, which is a total bummer but makes a good story in retrospect, right?!?!) We are feeling totally heartened that we are not the only ones who are jellyfish magnets! Thanks for taking the time to share this! Ooooh – and check out Abbe’s suggestion below: Adolph’s meat tenderizer for jellyfish stings. Who knew?!? ~G&S