The Universally Perfect, All-Seasons Bean Dish I Bring to Every Potluck

Twelve years of living in the southern U.S. taught me two things: Good manners go a long way, and it isn’t a party, potluck, tailgate, or baby shower without cowboy caviar.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting this ubiquitous bean salad, it’s a little like if a bean salad and salsa had a delicious, chip-ready baby. Some folks call it Dixie caviar, and others call it Texas caviar, but the basics of the dish are always the same: Canned beans, crisp veggies, and tangy tomatoes get tossed in a spicy lime dressing and served alongside tortilla chips.

Cowboy caviar is my go-to potluck party contribution. Not only is it super easy to prep ahead, but it also keeps well at room temperature, and doesn’t become a food safety issue in warm temps. Plus, it meets a wide number of dietary restrictions with ease. And it happens to be one of those dishes that works well as a side on its own or as the start of a really good salad. Toss it with a bag of prepared coleslaw cabbage and carrots and it might not even need extra dressing. It can be spooned atop grilled steaks or BBQ sandwiches with delicious results.

But what I love most about cowboy caviar for potlucks is that it’s a no-worry dish. I don’t worrying about keeping it cool, as it’s fine at room temperature. I don’t worry about how to serve it — I can literally put an open bag of tortilla chips next to it and walk away. I don’t have to worry about leftovers because there won’t be any. And I don’t have to worry about dietary restrictions: Even my vegan and gluten-free friends can enjoy it (although if I’m serving gluten-free friends I always check my chips — most tortilla chips are gluten free).

Kitchn contributor (and my IRL BFF) Patty Catalano was the first person to introduce me to the kind of cowboy caviar that uses two types of beans — black beans (Texas) and black-eyed peas (Dixie) — and told me that I should always at least double the recipe.

In the summer, I use really ripe tomatoes and fresh sweet corn. When the weather cools off I opt for cherry tomatoes (sometimes I oven-roast them first, if I have time) and frozen or canned corn. A shallot swaps well for the red onion and I often use whatever herbs I have (or skip the herbs) — basically you can adapt this recipe a million ways and still have a party snack that everyone will love. Just don’t skimp on the garlic or the limey vinaigrette.

Get the recipe: Cowboy Caviar

At Kitchn, our editors develop and debut brand-new recipes on the site every single week. But at home, we also have our own tried-and-true dishes that we make over and over again — because quite simply? We love them. Kitchn Love Letters is a series that shares our favorite, over-and-over recipes.