Pineapple Black Bean Salsa

A white bowl filled with pineapple black bean salsa served on a plate with chips. A striped tea towel and bunch of cilantro are in the background.
Photo: Emily Holdorf, MS, RDN, LDN

I first tried pineapple black bean salsa during my internship. I was doing a rotation with a non-profit community organization that did nutrition education with people visiting food pantries. We would often make recipes that were very simple, required little equipment and utilized foods that were found at the pantry. I got some really tasty, quick recipe ideas from this rotation!

As the years went by, I kind of forgot about pineapple black bean salsa being a thing until recently. I was thinking about fresh, warm weather recipes — that weren’t ice cream or something frozen — that I could come up with for my blog, and that’s when salsa popped into my brain and I remembered how delicious this recipe is!

This is seriously such a simple recipe, but it is perfect for the end of summer when you still want something that’s super refreshing and doesn’t take a lot of time. Pineapple Black Bean Salsa - The longest part of the recipe is chopping things up, but after that you literally just throw everything into a bowl. You could totally mix and match this recipe with other fruits, too. Subbing the pineapple with mangoes or peaches would be really good.

The first night we ate the salsa with tortilla chips, but the next night I made some cilantro lime chicken thighs over rice and topped it with the salsa, and the flavors went so well together. It was the perfect easy, summer meal. Next I’ll probably eat the remaining bit as part of a cheese and cracker snack platter. Trust me, this salsa won’t last long!

Pineapple Black Bean Salsa

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño,deseeded & minced
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. If using fresh pineapple, dice into small pieces.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine.
  3. Serve with tortilla chips or over meat. Keep refrigerated.

Note: I used fresh pineapple, but you could use canned pineapple tidbits instead. Be sure to use gloves when mincing the jalapeño!

 

Emily Holdorf on FacebookEmily Holdorf on InstagramEmily Holdorf on PinterestEmily Holdorf on Twitter
Emily Holdorf
Emily Holdorf, MS, RDN, LDN, is a college dining dietitian based in upstate New York, and the owner of EmPowered Nutrition. She blogs at empowerednutrition.co. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.