I love entertaining in the summer. It’s so much more relaxed and laid back. I love entertaining, period, but summer gatherings call for family-style lunches, cool drinks, and fun in the sun with neighbors and friends.
My go-to appetizer dip to have out when family and friends come over is a black bean and corn salsa dip. It’s delish, y’all!
This is a real hit at family gatherings and parties. The best part is this recipe makes a very large bowl of the salsa, so it goes a long way with a crowd. It’s also healthy and super yummy, not to mention super-duper easy to make.
This is also a perfect recipe to involve the kiddos. If your kids are too young to handle a knife for the chopping, they will certainly love rinsing the ingredients and dumping everything into the bowl and mixing away. If they can handle a knife, there’s lots of opportunity for their help with this recipe.
Ingredients
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained (Bridget’s tip: They carry this at HEB. If you can’t find it, you can substitute hominy.)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
5 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (Bridget’s tip: I prefer Roma tomatoes for their sturdy flesh.)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped to taste (for me, this means lots!)
2 juicy limes (Bridget’s tip: Roll your limes or stick them in the microwave for a just a few seconds to get the maximum juice out of them.)
3 avocados, diced (you will add these just before serving)
Pace Picante (enough to moisten the salsa) (Bridget’s tip: I use about half of a large jar of Mild Pace—too much, and your dip will get too wet.)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients except the avocados, and marinate for at least four hours. Bridget’s tip: I use a large mixing bowl and cover with my trusty Press & Seal and stick in fridge until moments before guests arrive.
That is it. Seriously!!
I’ll take you through the recipe step by step just in case you don’t believe me:
1. Rinse and drain your black beans and white shoepeg corn.
2. Next, chop tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.
3. Dump those into the bowl with the beans and corn.
Those green onions in the picture above needed a little more of a fine chop, so we practiced our dicing technique and as you can see in this video, I think she has it down and is well on her way to being a gourmet cook like yours truly…so proud!!
4. Squeeze in your two juicy limes and mix in your Pace Picante.
The beautiful part is that you can make this ahead the day before. If you make this far in advance, I would go light on the Pace at first and add more closer to serving time to ensure it doesn’t get too soggy.
5. Don’t forget to add the avocados just before serving—they’re the best part!
Bridget’s tip: My favorite chips to serve this with are Tostitos Scoops. They allow maximum deliciousness per bite!
I always set back a small bowl for myself to eat the next day as a snack or light lunch. If I don’t, there won’t be any left for me! It’s that good!
So healthy and delicious. Love me some corn and beans.
Pam this is perfect for the 4th! We won’t have such a large crowd, so I will likely cut the recipe in half for just us. Enjoy!
Yum! I will definitely use this recipe for the next family event we have … So easy and healthy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
THANKS! I think I will make this for the 4th! That is my favorite brand of corn!
You are very welcome Amy! I know you will enjoy it!