Texas Caviar

My favorite beans by far are dried beans they are so cheap, packed with fiber and great for so many yummy recipes. On the other hand I also love canned beans which are so convenient and also pretty cheap as well. So I have decided why make a choice, just use both. I have come to realize that for some recipes it's best to use dried beans and for others its best to use canned. Canned beans are not expensive, so really both dried and canned beans are both a frugal choice. Today I am bringing you are recipe for Texas Caviar that utilizes canned beans.

The reason I love this recipe so much is because you just have to pop open a couple cans of ingredients and you have easy appetizer in no time. The first time I had Texas Caviar was at my friend Nancy's house about 10 years ago. I was instantly hooked and had to have the recipe. Since then I have tweaked the recipe up just a tad. It is still the same recipe I just added a extra ingredient that's all. The ingredient I added is corn! Not only does the corn add a great flavor but it also adds a beautiful yellow color. This recipe is the perfect appetizer served with tortilla chips, pita triangels or by itself as a salad or side. I have also used black beans in this recipe and it is just as good. So if you are not a fan of black eye peas by all means use black beans.

I used Bush's Beans for this recipe because in my opinion they are the best canned beans. Bush's has so many beans to choose from . The Great Northern beans are good as well perfect for so many recipes. My thoughts are if you find a good brand stick with it. I wanted to post this recipe for two reasons. One I have been trying to find a great excuse to make this caviar. And two Bush's Beans has invited me and a few other bloggers to Napa Valley, California for a chili tasting at the Culinary Institute of America.

So I thought it would only be fitting to post one of my favorite recipes using Bush's Beans. I am so excited becasue we will get to cook at the CIA with Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Sonoma Diet. I am so syked to get to meet and cook with Connie and the other wonderful bloggers. Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer, Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen and Amy from She Wears Many Hats. I cant wait to come back and share with y'all what I learned and hopefully return with some beautiful pictures. I leave on Thursday so hopefully I can get one more recipe post in before then. So onto the recipe for the Texas Caviar.

These are the ingredients you will need: 2 cans canned black black beans or black eyed peas, one can of corn, celery, red and green bell pepper, purple onion, pickled jalapenos, cilantro and Italian dressing. Drain and rinse the black eyed peas/ or black beans in a strainer. Drain the corn and chop up all the vegetables. Toss everything into a large bowl.


and gently mix you can also add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Then finally add the Italian dressing and mix together. Chill overnight so the flavors will marry together. Serve with tortilla or pita triangles. You can also serve this by itself as a salad.


Umm so yummy

My favorite way to store this caviar is in a Quart Size Mason Jar in the refrigerator. It makes the perfect jar for gift giving or if you just want to take it to a grill out. I think the mason jar gives it a nice southern touch.

Texas Caviar

2 - cans (15 oz) Bush's canned black beans or black eye peas, drained & rinsed
1 - 15 oz can regular yellow corn, drained
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced celery

1/4 - cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 - cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 - cup diced purple onion
1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
chopped pickled jalapeno slices (to your taste I used 6)
1 - 8oz bottle Italian dressing

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together adding the dressing last. Chill overnight. I usually cannot wait that long and end up digging it right away. *Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or as a salad. I have included a recipe for homemade pita chips if you want to use those. So much cheaper to make them homemade versus buying.

Homemade Pita Chips

1 - 12oz Package Pita Bread, Split
6 - tablespoons Butter, melted
1 1/2 - teaspoons House Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Cut Pita rounds in half crosswise. Cut each half into 3 triangles. Place pita triangles on prepared baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter sprinkle evenly with house seasoning. Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. Cool Completely. Click here for a link for step by step directions on how to make homemade pita chips. Scroll down it isat the end of my strawberry salsa tutorial.

Printable Recipe

If you are trying to incorporate more beans into your diet you should check out Bush's site Beans, The Vegetable with More. they have some great recipes. I found a few new ones to try out on my family.

Disclosure: Bush’s Beans has invited me on this trip and is covering my costs to attend. I am under no obligation to write this post, I am just a big fan of Bush's Beans. Opinion stated in this post are entirely my own.


Dont miss a single recipe from Mommy's Kitchen. Become a Email Subscriber, click here to sign up.



Tina, The Mom in Mommy's Kitchen