Mediterranean White Bean Salad

This easy, nutrient-rich, Mediterranean White Bean Salad can be served as a side dish or as a main meal topped with feta cheese, grilled salmon or shrimp, or rotisserie chicken.

I’m a superfan of canned beans, and they are always in my pantry. When making this recipe, if you don’t have a can of Great Northern beans in your pantry, use chickpeas or cannellini beans instead.

Beans are part of the pulse family. They are nutritious, providing fiber, plant-based protein, and important nutrients like potassium, iron, and magnesium, and they’ve even been linked to longevity. (People who live in the Blue Zones eat at least half a cup of beans every day!) I prefer canned beans to cooking from scratch, because they are convenient—they save time and have a long shelf life—and they are affordable, flavorful, and versatile. I use canned beans in everything from black bean soup and hearty beef and kidney bean chili to homemade hummus and even black bean brownies.

This is the easiest salad ever made with cucumber, tomatoes, green onion, fresh chopped mint and parsley, black olives, toasted pistachios, and a can of cannellini beans that I drain and rinse first to wash away 40% of the sodium. I add a lemon and olive oil dressing to pull it all together.

Other ingredients you could add to this salad: sliced radishes; shredded purple or green cabbage; cherry tomatoes; green olives; walnuts.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean White Bean Salad

 

Author: Liz Weiss

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

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This simple salad is bursting with flavor and good nutrition. I'm a big fan of fresh herbs, so feel free to go to town by adding fresh basil and oregano in addition to the mint and parsley.

Ingredients

• One 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, cut into ½-inch dice (2 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice (1 cup)
• ½ cup pitted olives (I used Kalamata), roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
• 1 loosely-packed cup parsley, roughly chopped
• ⅓ packed cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
• Drizzle honey
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Place beans, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, pistachios, parsley, mint, and green onions in a large bowl and stir to combine.
2. Meanwhile, place the oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard, oregano, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake until well combined.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. (Yield: 5 cups)

3.5.3251