Southwestern Three Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing is a simple salad that will kick up your barbecue, cookout or any meal.

Are you tired of the same old boring salad? Looking for a fresh and flavorful twist on a classic dish? Look no further than this Southwestern Three Bean Salad recipe!

Get ready to add this recipe to your go-to list for summer cookouts and maybe even a holiday meal or two.

top down view of southwestern three bean salad with chipotle lime dressing

The traditional three bean salad consists of green and yellow beans, plus some red beans and garbanzo beans. Chickpeas (aka garbanzos) are actually "pulses" not beans; so the name actually is correct.

Instead of the garbanzo beans and yellow beans I added black beans and hominy. And threw in some fresh red bell pepper for color.

And since I was going Southwestern I went all in with a homemade Chipotle Lime Dressing.

Don't get me started on bottled salad dressing! Short version, homemade is easy and BETTER.

Ingredients for Southwestern Three Bean Salad

Over the decades, the original salad has become a "dump some canned goods in a bowl and add bottled dressing" concoction.

But, I chose to keep the fresh flavors of summer with fresh green beans. It only takes a few extra minutes, but the extra crunch and taste is worth it.

fresh green beans
canned black beans, kidney beans and hominy (white or yellow)
green onion (or red if you want more bite)
red bell pepper (or any other color)
fresh cilantro (optional if you have the "soap suds" tasting gene)
fresh limes
olive oil (or other neutral oil)
chipotle chili powder (or plain chili powder or none for a milder salad)
honey (necessary to balance the taste as well as emulsify the dressing)

Start with a pinch of the chipotle chili powder when you blend the salad initially. It can be overwhelming. Taste it before serving and add more if needed. You can't take it out if you put in too much to start.

What to Serve with Southwestern Three Bean Salad

Looking for a main course to grill up with this salad? Try one of these tasty dishes from some of my favorite blogs:

Carne Asada Burger from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Grilled BBQ Chicken from Art of Natural Living

Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak from Jen Around the World

Find more recipes on Facebook: Recipes From Our Dinner Table and the Our Family Table Pinterest board, too!

Recipe

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Ingredients

1 cup green beans (trimmed and cut in 1" pieces)
15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
15 ounce can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
15 ounce can hominy (drained and rinsed)
½ cup greeen or red onion (chopped)
1 cup red or orange bell pepper (chopped)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves (chopped)
2 limes
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
⅛ teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
salt and additional chipotle chili pepper (as needed before serving)

Instructions

Cook green beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes. You want them still green with some crunch to them. Drain and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
In a medium bowl, combine all three beans, hominy, onions, bell pepper and cilantro.
Zest one lime. Squeeze juice from both limes.
In a small bowl combine lime zest and juice, chipotle chili pepper, and oil. Pour over salad and stir gently.
Chill in fridge at least one hour up to overnight. Adjust seasonings before serving.