Loaded with roasted veggies, healthy grains, savory beans, and two delicious dressings, this Big Cuban Salad will be a crowd-pleasing favorite at home or at your next potluck!
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The first time I took this Big Cuban Salad to a potluck, I wasn't sure how it would be received, because people at parties tend to stick with what they know; often leaving new, unfamiliar foods. As it turned out, I left the party with an empty bowl - my Big Cuban Salad was a huge hit!
The truth is, this Big Cuban Salad is really just buddha bowl gone BIG! For this salad, I used this Cuban Quinoa Bowl recipe as a jumping off point.
Get a Big Salad Bowl
To make this big, beautiful salad, the first thing you need is a vessel to put it in. For example, a large pasta bowl, with it's large, shallow, flat bottom and lots of open bowl space, is perfect repurposed as a party-size salad bowl to showcase the color and beauty of all the ingredients.
This salad is great whether you assemble it with warm ingredients or cold - it's just a matter of personal preference. Personally, I like to make all the ingredients for this salad the day before and chill them. Then, on the day of, it takes only minutes to assemble and serve.
Potluck-Worthy Big Cuban Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Quinoa
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 green onions minced
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato 10-12 ounces, peeled and cut ½ cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Black Beans
- 1 cup cooked black beans 1 can, rinsed & drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion chopped fine
- ½ large red sweet pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cilantro-Avocado Dressing
- 1 large avocado
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan sour cream or regular if you don't care about it being vegan or dairy-free.
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- Juice of one lime
Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce
- ⅓ cup cashews
- 1 cup very hot water
- 2 clove garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pinch kosher salt
Additional Ingredients
- 5-6 cups salad greens
- 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes halved
Instructions
- Place ⅓ cup raw cashews in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside to soak while you make the sweet potatoes, quinoa, and black beans.
Seasoned Quinoa
- Combine vegetable broth, cumin, minced garlic, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Stir in quinoa and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. (Keep lid on.) Allow quinoa to sit for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in chopped green onions.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag (or large bowl) toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the cinnamon, ginger, and olive oil until evenly covered.
- Pour sweet potatoes onto an unlined heavy metal sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.
- Put in oven and roast sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, then toss gently and return to oven for another 8-10 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Black Beans:
- While Sweet potatoes are roasting and the quinoa is finishing up, sauté finely chopped ½ onion in olive oil until translucent. Add minced garlic clove and chopped red pepper and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onion begins to turn brown.
- Add black beans, cumin and salt and cook for 5 more minutes, until beans are tender.
- Set aside and allow to cook completely.
Cilantro-Avocado Dressing
- Combine all ingredients and blend with a small beverage or immersion blender until smooth. It should be about the same thickness and consistency as a good milkshake.
- If mixture is too thick, add a little extra water.
Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce
- Remember those cashews you started soaking at the beginning of all this?!? Drain them, and throw them into a blender with the remaining Cashew Sauce ingredients. (i.e., garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup.) Puree on high until smooth. Season to taste.
ASSEMBLY
- Evenly distribute greens in the bottom of very large, flat-bottom bowl.
- Mound Quinoa in the middle.
- Arrange the following in concentric circles radiating from the middle; ½ black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, ½ black beans, tomato halves.
- Drizzle liberally with Cilantro-Avocado Dressing, Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve remaining Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
If this salad sounds tasty, you will love our recipes for Sweet & Spicy Black Beans, Calypso Chili, and of course, How to Make a Buddha Bowl.
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Marlynn @ UrbanBlissLife says
What an absolutely GORGEOUS stunner of a dish! This would be a hit at any potluck for sure!
Renée ♥ says
Thanks, Marlynn! It's tasty too!! 😉
Pech says
Ooooo love the video and the photos! You really did a wonderful presentation with those cherry tomatoes which are perfect for this season too. The tomato flower is so cute in the middle too!
Renée ♥ says
Thanks, Pech. I've always enjoyed playing with my food. 🙂
Tiffany says
This looks delish :). Will definitely give this a try! Thanks for sharing Renée!
Nipa says
Roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, cilantro, avocado, and black beans are some of my favorite ingredients! I just never thought to put them all together in a salad. I'm saving this recipe for our next party! xo Nipa | https://fashionipa.com
Renée ♥ says
It seriously so good, Nipa. You can put it all together hours ahead of time, too (except the dressings, of course).
Tammie Reinhart says
That looks so good!
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome says
That looks beautiful and I bet is delicious!
Katherine says
What a showstopping salad! Perfect for a party or barbecue.
Chris Collins says
Okay, I'm officially taking this to every single summer gathering I attend over the next few months. Looks so delish!!!
Renée ♥ says
It's seriously so good, and the fact that works with so many dietary restrictions is nice, too!
Mary Bostow says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I loved it! The flavors were fresh and it was easy to make. I will make it again!
Kelly Anthony says
This potluck cuban salad is so pretty and is sure to impress any guest.
Shayla says
This looks absolutely wonderful! I'm the person at parties that looks for something unique to try!
Cindy Gordon says
What a perfect recipe for a potluck! So many delicious ingredients!
aisasami says
This looks really delicious. I would love to try to make this salad. I am allegic to avocados, is there anything to replace the dressing?
Renée ♥ says
You could use a cilantro-lime dressing instead. It should work great with those flavors.
Shannon Graham says
It can definitely be a little nerve-wracking taking a new dish to a get together. You don't want your food to be leftover afterwards!!
Marisa says
This looks so good & Sweet Potatoes are my absolute favorite so I definitely need to try this out!
Brittany Limberakis says
Oh wow! So many yummy foods all in one salad! I know my family would love this.
Christa says
This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to make it for myself. Maybe a slightly smaller portion though. ?
Renée ♥ says
It does make a lot of cornbread! Cutting the recipe in half is totally fine - just make it in a smaller skillet, or make a thinner cornbread in the larger skillet. Either way, remember to reduce the time accordingly.
Sarah says
Wow, the colors and presentation are just stunning! It sounds so easy to make too! Positively an all around potluck win!
Cindy says
Mmmmm this looks so good! I love trying different things and this is perfect. I can’t wait to make it.
Sarah Dudley says
This looks absolutely delicious! Will definitely be trying 🙂
Heidi Hinck says
I was looking for a different potluck salad for our last summer band concert and this did the trick. Everyone seemed to like it and some took doubles. 🙂
I like the suggestion someone said about being able to substitute the cilantro-avocado dressing with a store lime cream dressing but I also like know how to make from scratch. I should've remembered to add some water to thin it down a bit so as not struggle so trying to squirt it around but it was still good. For all the various flavors, I think next time I will still add a bit more kick to the salad and then I'll love it. 🙂
Renée says
Thanks for the great feedback!