My colorful and crunchy Mediterranean Bean Salad is the perfect mixed bean salad ~ it’ll take you through picnic and barbecue season with ease, and you’ll want to make up a big batch to keep in the fridge for quick and healthy lunches, too, it’s packed with protein!
You guys ~ we should all be eating lots of beans ~ and a healthy bean salad is such a yummy way to do it.
I’m always looking for new bean recipes, they’re the most under-utilized super foods out there. Pop open a can, drain and rinse, and you’ve got a nutritional powerhouse just waiting to make you a healthier person ~ you don’t need a fancy diet, you just need to eat more beans! Today I’ve chosen cannellinis and garbanzos, for a contrast of texture. I’ve been using garbanzos forever, but I’m a recent convert to cannellinis. I chose them to star in my Nicoise Salad, too, because they’re SO creamy! I think kidney and black beans would make a beautiful combo in this salad, as well.
TIP: Canned beans don’t have to taste canned ~ rinsing them extra well helps get rid of that unpleasant canned flavor and lowers their salt content by as much as 40%.
With a few fresh veggies and a well stocked pantry this mixed bean salad comes together fast
Multi-colored bell peppers, cukes, and red onion provide the crunch. Both black and pimento stuffed green olives add the brine ~ you can never have too many olives ~ and pickled peppadew peppers (the bright red ones) provide the tart tang. Marinated artichokes and feta cheese round out the group. As for herbs, I went with shredded basil leaves, but you could do fresh thyme, dill, or oregano if you’ve got them.
Cold bean salads are indispensable for outdoor events because you can make them ahead, they travel well, and they tolerate the heat.
The best bean salad dressing ~
- My dressing is a good old fashioned Italian style vinaigrette.
- I use extra virgin olive oil which provides loads of flavor and health benefits.
- Red wine vinegar is flavorful but doesn’t overpower.
- Fresh garlic adds that all important bite.
- Dried mixed Italian herbs give it that classic Mediterranean vibe. While you can certainly use fresh herbs in this bean salad dressing, dried work just fine.
- PERFECT.
TIP: On the second day I added tuna to my leftover Mediterranean bean salad and it was awesome. It’s a great way to make this into a meal. Try hard cooked eggs, too.
For more potluck worthy side salad ideas, try these ~
- Charred Corn and Bean Salad
- Chopped Greek Salad!
- Purple Cauliflower Rice Salad
- Corn and Cucumber Salad
Reader Rave ~
“Sue, I made this recipe to take to my sisters house when I visited in the summer. Everyone loved it. When my 16 year old nephew heard I was coming to visit this weekend, he asked his mom if she thought that I might make that awesome bean salad again! Of course, I’ll be making it for him! It’s soo good! Thank you!” ~Therese
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Equipment
- Large salad bowl
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and well rinsed.
- 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans, chickpeas drained and well rinsed.
- 1 cup cherry tomato halves
- 2 small Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (do not peel.)
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced.
- 1/2 cup Peppadew peppers* (or other pickled peppers), rough chopped.
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives, halved.
- 1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives, halved.
- 1 cup assorted colorful bell peppers, diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichokes, chopped.
- 10 large fresh basil leaves, shredded.
dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp red wine vinegar, or more to taste.
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs, I used thyme, oregano, and rosemary.
- 1 clove garlic , minced.
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together and taste to adjust any of them to suit you. Add more vinegar if you want a tangier flavor. Set aside.
- Put the beans in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss with enough dressing to coat everything but not drown the salad.
- Chill the salad thoroughly before serving. The salad will keep, well covered, for several days in the refrigerator. Note: if making this bean salad ahead of time I like to leave out the tomatoes until you are ready to serve. Tomatoes tend to get mushy in the refrigerator.
Notes
- As with all bean salads, be sure to give it a quick toss just before serving if it's been sitting, the dressing will tend to settle at the bottom
- Those delicious cannellini beans are delicate! Be gentle when you rinse and toss them.
- This is a great salad to store in mason jars for grab and go lunches, like I did with my Layered 7-Bean Salad in a Jar recipe.
Nutrition
Thanks for pinning!!
Loved it! We’ll make it again!
I live this recipe. I always make it. It’s healthy and it taste good. Thank you Sue
Thanks Edna <3
Served as a side dish with grilled salmon. Everyone loved it! Nice part was using vegetables from garden!
made this recipe today, added crisp fresh corn and half a head of finely chopped cauliflower, and hard boiled eggs, plus when served some avocado. it is soooooooooooo delish it will be a summer fave for me from now on!!
Your version sounds really good Faith!
Hi really keen to make this salad tonight but the beans do you boil them first or do you just toss them from the can directly in the salad?
Canned beans are already cooked, so I just rinse well and use.
Hi Sue,
I just wanted to comment and let you know that I loved your bean salad recipe. I’ve featured it on my ‘antioxidant challenge recipe roundup’ list.
Thank you so much!
I guess the quarantine is getting to me 😉 It’s a 14 ounce can of cherry tomatoes Freya. I link to the brand I use. I’ve recently discovered these cherry tomatoes and I’m obsessed.
Great recipe but 15 minutes prep time? Just going about my kitchen getting all the ingredients together was a good five minutes. Then, the dressing was at least another five minutes. what with measuring and mincing. I clean every can before opening and then rinse for the recycling. Nine of the ingredients have to be cut up in some way, and most people aren’t going to have every ingredient even if they make a special grocery run for it. So, there’s time for being creative with substitutions and additions. I substituted dill pickles for cucumbers which were absent from the store shelves. I added beets and left off basil leaves, but I put extra fresh herbs in the dressing. Very versatile recipe, healthful and delicious, but it takes much longer than 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I work fast and don’t get interrupted.
You’re exactly right. I’ve made it several times now, and it is a great salad, but 15 minutes is not accurate.
This was excellent. I wanted a bean salad without sugar so gave this a try. I sliced a few radishes and added them along with chopped walnuts. It was great, thanks!
Can you verify the serving size please. It says the serving size is 1 gram…should that be 23 grams which is closer to an ounce.
The serving size is about a cup and a half.
Howdy Miss Sue,
I’ve been on the hunt for a bean salad for absolute ages now as my taste buds had a hankering for it and those of us ‘Down Under’ are now heading into Summer! So your recipe was provided by another ‘Cooking Website’ provider, but the range of ingredients and simplicity of the recipe meant that I grabbed it and my (family’s) tastebuds are still recovering, having made this recipe twice now in the last three days. So after reading your homepage and your approach to food, cooking and the celebration of the flavours of food, I subscribed to your website today. I (& the family) just love this recipe – made exactly to spec although we don’t have Peppadew peppers in Ozstralia but pickled peppers, capsicum etc fills the need. I just love the variety of flavours, textures and colours in this salad! The dressing is divine and adds a crispness to all of the ingredients. Following your theme of ‘healthy and crunchy’ salads (my favourite) I also added nuts to my V2 of the recipe (Pepitas, slivered almond, pistachios etc) at the end just before serving. SO after trialling my first two concoctions of your recipe, I am now trying a smidgeon of lemon juice with your (perfect) dressing and perhaps a few TBSP of Greek Yoghurt before adding the nuts! Love your ideas and approach to food, Cheers Michael